Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's report Cost of school uniform 2015, published in June 2015, what steps she is taking to reduce the financial hardship reported by parents and carers as a result of purchasing their child's school uniform; and if she will make a statement.

It is for a school’s governing body (or the academy trust) to decide what their school uniform should be and how it should be sourced. The Department has issued guidance for all schools on the need to give highest priority to cost considerations when setting their uniform policy. The guidance emphasises the importance of ensuring that uniform is easily available and affordable for all parents.

Local authorities and academies have discretion within their budgets to provide school clothing grants or to help with the cost of school clothing in cases of financial hardship. Our guidance states that individual schools may also consider running their own schemes to provide assistance.