News

Uniform costs hit £251 a year

Campaigners have called for cap on 'rip-off' school uniform costs, as specialist suppliers, high prices and having to buy numerous items leave many families struggling to keep up. Pete Henshaw reports

Families with children at primary school are paying an average of more than £250 per child, per year in "rip-off" uniform costs, campaigners have said.

Much of this cost is down to school uniform policies that force parents to buy specific items of clothing and accessories from specialist shops, instead of allowing badges and logos to be sewn onto cheaper garments.

A new Children's Society report has also revealed that 95 per cent of parents – in a survey of more than 1,000 carried out for the report – believe the amount they have to pay for uniform is "unreasonable".

Furthermore, it estimates that 220,000 children (primary and secondary) have had their school chosen partly on account of the cost of the uniform – something that the School Admissions Code says must not happen.

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