TWO in five parents struggle to afford mandatory school uniforms, and this leaves children unfairly open to punishment, isolation, and even exclusion, the Children’s Society reports.
Its most up-to-date poll of 3000 parents of state-school children shows that pupils in secondary school face the harshest consequences for uniform breaches out of their control: one in eight is placed in isolation. Overall, greater than two in five children (44 per cent) experience negative consequences regarding participation in lessons or extra-curricular activities.
The poll has identified school jumpers, cardigans, PE tops, and ties as probably the most commonly required branded items. Currently, many require several items bearing the college’s name or logo, or a design or pattern specific to the college, which will be bought only from a specialist shop. The average variety of items is five for primary schoolchildren and 6 for secondary.
This is well above what parents say is mandatory or reasonably priced, the charity has said.
More than three-quarters of the parents (78 per cent) desired to see the urgent introduction of a statutory limit of three branded uniform items, something called for within the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill recommend by the Government and currently on the Committee Stage within the House of Lords.
Analysis from the Department for Education in April found that oldsters were having to pay £442 on average to kit out a toddler for secondary school, and £343 for primary school.
The Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, has said: “Looking smart in school shouldn’t cost the earth, and no parent must be forced to make a choice from buying family essentials and a faculty shirt or tie. Alongside our free breakfast clubs, these recent laws will save parents tons of of kilos a 12 months, and ensure that family funds don’t have any bearing on children’s time in school.
“Uniform can create a way of identity and pride for pupils but it could actually even be a source of tension, and in some cases even impacts school attendance.”
The Children’s Society survey identified the regions wherein parents struggled probably the most to satisfy costs. Northern Ireland and Wales topped the list, at 44 per cent and 42 per cent of oldsters, respectively. Among cities, Brighton (52 per cent) and Norwich (48 per cent) were highest.
“Punishing children for circumstances outside their control is deeply unjust,” the chief executive of the Children’s Society, Mark Russell, said. “Every child should have the option to attend school without fear of detention, isolation, or exclusion due to uniform costs their families cannot afford.
“With school uniform costs still crippling family budgets, we welcome the proposed limit of three branded items as set out within the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, and urge the Government to implement it, especially as parents overwhelmingly support this much needed change.”
