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Written question asked by Sharon Hodgson (Labour) on Monday, 9 March 2015, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 11 March 2015. It was answered by David Laws (Liberal Democrat) on Monday, 16 March 2015 on behalf of the Department for Education.

Schools: Uniforms

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that school uniforms in all state-funded schools are affordable.

Answer

The Department for Education has issued guidance for all schools on the need to consider the cost and availability of the uniform.

The guidance emphasises the importance of ensuring that uniform is widely available and affordable for parents. It sets out that governing bodies should be able to demonstrate that they have obtained the best value for money from suppliers, and that any savings negotiated with suppliers should be passed on to parents wherever possible. It also makes clear that compulsory branded items should be kept to a minimum, and that schools should avoid frequent changes to the uniform.

Local authorities and academies have discretion within their budgets to provide school clothing grants or offer other help with the cost of school clothing in cases of financial hardship.

The school uniform guidance is published online at:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-uniform

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
226676
Session
2014-15
Subjects
Schools Uniforms
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk