Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to subsidising school uniforms for school pupils eligible for free school meals.

The Department for Education has issued guidance for all schools on the need to give high priority to cost considerations when setting their uniform. The guidance emphasises the importance of ensuring that the uniform is widely available and affordable for all parents.

Local authorities and academies have discretion within their budgets to provide school clothing grants or offer other help with the cost of school clothing in cases of financial hardship. We also encourage individual schools to consider running their own schemes to provide assistance.

The school uniform guidance is published online at:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-uniform