Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of school uniform costs on families in Slough.

The department published its latest research on the cost of school uniform in September 2024, which surveyed parents and carers of children aged 4 to 16 attending state-funded schools in England. The research can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-school-uniforms-survey-2023.

This research found that the average total expenditure on school uniform and physical education (PE) kit, based on the items required in 2023, was £381.92. There were higher levels of expenditure for children in secondary schools, at £442.25, than in primary schools, at £343.28, and within both phases for girls (secondary: £454.31; primary: £357.28) compared to boys (secondary: £430.40; primary: £330.78).

The data was sampled to be representative of the population at primary and secondary level. The sample size was not large enough to make robust comparisons at a regional level.

Too many families still tell the department that the cost of school uniform remains a financial burden. ​This is why we have introduced legislation to limit the number of branded items of uniform and PE kit that schools can require to bring down costs for parents and remove barriers from children accessing sport and other school activities. This will give parents more choice in where to purchase uniform and allow them greater flexibility to make the spending decisions that suit their circumstances.