Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he will take to make school uniforms and PE kits more affordable for families on low incomes.
It is for the governing body of a school, or in the case of academies, the academy trust, to decide rules relating to appearance including whether there should be a school uniform, what it will be and how it should be sourced.
No school uniform should be so expensive as to leave pupils or their families feeling unable to apply to, or attend, a school of their choice. The Department’s best-practice guidance advises schools that they should give the highest priority to cost considerations and achieving value for money for parents.
The Department intends to put the school uniform guidance on a statutory footing when a suitable opportunity arises and the guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-uniform.