Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 29 April 2025 to Question 46274 on Schools: Uniforms, if she will take steps to provide further support for low income households to assist in the purchase of school uniforms.

This government recognises that parents are struggling with the cost of uniform and that in England some local authorities provide discretionary grants to help with buying school uniforms in cases of financial hardship.

Rather than subsidising expensive uniforms through providing additional financial support, this government has chosen to reduce the cost of uniforms for all parents by legislating to limit the number of expensive branded items schools can require.

Departmental research shows that the average cost of uniform is significantly lower when parents are allowed to buy items from a range of outlets. Based on previous department surveys of parents, we estimate that the aggregate savings of the new limit on compulsory branded items to parents with children in primary school is around £21 million per year, and for those with children in secondary school is around £52 million per year. We estimate that some families will save over £50 on the back-to-school shop.

Therefore, a legislative limit is the most effective way to make schools remove unnecessary and expensive branded items and bring down costs for parents.