Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many households received a grant to buy school uniforms in 2017.

The information requested is not held centrally.

The Department publishes best practice guidance which makes clear that it is for a school’s governing body or academy trust to decide whether there should be a school uniform policy. The guidance emphasies the need for schools to give highest priority to cost considerations. It also sets out that local authorities and schools in England may choose to provide school clothing grants or to help with the cost of school clothing in cases of financial hardship.

The guidance is available to view here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-uniform.