Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to introduce a £30 cap on school uniform items.

Too many families still tell us that the cost of school uniform remains a financial burden. ​This is why the department has introduced legislation to limit the number of branded items of uniform and PE kit that schools can require to bring down costs for parents and remove barriers from children accessing sport and other school activities.

The department has no plans to introduce a £30 cap on school uniform items. For schools this would mean having to review uniform policies regularly to ensure the uniform items were still within the cost cap and so lead to more frequent uniform changes. For parents this could increase the overall number of items they have to buy whilst their child is at school, limit the ability to pass items down to siblings or to buy second hand uniform, and reduce choice by increasing reliance on specific suppliers.

The department wants to ensure that any action we take to reduce the cost of uniform provides schools and parents with clarity and offers parents choice in how to manage the cost of school uniform. Ensuring parents can buy more items from a range of retailers gives them that flexibility.