Background
 Help with school clothing costs ( 44kb)
The availability of financial assistance with the costs of school uniform has been long-standing concern of the Citizens Advice Bureaux Service. Citizens Advice Bureaux (CAB) throughout England and Wales have reported that parents have faced financial hardship as a result of the costs of school uniforms for their children and have found problems in getting any assistance with the costs. The arguments in favour of school uniform are well respected by Government, schools and parents alike. The advantages of uniform are however diminished if a very strict code operates with no additional financial support. This puts extra pressure on parents with low incomes. Children feel excluded or are actually excluded from school for not having the right clothing.
A CAB evidence report published in January 2001, Uniform failure, demonstrated how the lack of help with school clothing costs is causing serious problems for parents on low income. The report showed that the availability and level of Local Education Authority (LEA) school clothing grants had declined in real terms since 1990 and that CABx reported that some children had been threatened with exclusion from school simply because their parents had not been able to afford the correct uniform.
This briefing shows how one year on from the publication of Uniform failure, the availability and value of LEA assistance with school uniform costs for families on low incomes continues to decline and CABx continue to report that clients are visiting bureaux because they can't afford to buy uniform for their children.
In the summer of 2001 we undertook a survey of every LEA in England and Wales. We found that almost one-third of LEAs (30%) provide no help whatsoever towards the costs of uniforms. Nine LEAs had slashed or abolished their grants since 2000. Only 28% of LEAs offer grants to children of both primary and secondary school age. 41% of these LEAs do not offer annual payments and they all operate strict eligibility critrea. The trend towards more restricted eligibility schemes is worrying as this may well be a step towards complete withdrawal of help.
CABx are also becoming increasingly concerned about schools introducing stricter uniform policies with some CABx reporting uniform lists that are applied with military precision. It is these policies that can cause particular difficulties for families on low incomes. The revision of the guidelines on uniform issued by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) in Spring 2002 was very welcome. The guidelines discourage 'designer' uniforms and encourage use of 'off the peg' items.
Help with school clothing costs ( 44kb)
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