The parents of four million children will get cheaper school uniforms because of a law reform making its way to the House of Lords this week.
The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will reduce uniform costs for families by £70 million across England, according to analysis by the Department for Education.
It comes as a new survey shows a third of parents are still worried about uniform costs, with one in five schools said to have actually increased the number of branded items required over the past year.
Schools are currently required to ‘limit’ the number of branded items they require, today’s survey shows almost half are not doing so.
The government’s Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will limit the number of branded, typically more expensive, items schools can require to three – excluding ties.
Parents are having to pay £442 on average to kit a child out for secondary school, and £343 for primary school, putting unnecessary financial pressure on families.
Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, said: “Looking smart at school shouldn’t cost the earth, and no parent should be forced to choose between buying family essentials and a school shirt or tie.
“Alongside our free breakfast clubs, these new laws will save parents hundreds of pounds a year, and make sure family finances have no bearing on children’s time at school.”
