Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will issue guidance limiting the amount of branded clothing that schools may require pupils to wear as part of school uniform, in order to reduce the financial burden on low-income families.

In November last year, the department published statutory guidance on the cost of school uniforms, to which schools must have regard when designing and implementing their uniform policies. The guidance, which comes into effect this month, requires schools to ensure that their uniform is affordable and secures best value for money for parents, including keeping branded items to a minimum and limiting them to low-cost or long-lasting items.

It also requires schools to:

• Give the highest priority to cost and value for money in their supply arrangements.
• Make second-hand uniform available for parents to acquire.
• Publish their uniform policy on their website and ensure that this is easily understood.
• Engage with parents and pupils on cost issues when they are developing their uniform policy.

School leaders know their pupils and the community they serve best and can make decisions on the branded items that are most appropriate to their school. Branded items create a sense of common identity and prevent pupils from competing against one another in the latest fashion trends. The guidance requires school leaders to consider carefully the overall cost implications of their chosen approach, including whether requiring a branded item is the most cost-effective way of achieving the desired result for their uniform.

The guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-school-uniforms/cost-of-school-uniforms.