Skip navigation | Skip to footer
 

Uniform costs keep adding up as schools ignore guidance on affordability

27 August 2010

Schools are adding to recession-stressed parents’ financial woes by ignoring government guidance* on keeping down the cost of school uniform, national charity Citizens Advice said today.

Too many are still insisting on uniform items that can only be bought from an exclusive supplier, instead of making sure parents can take advantage of cheaper deals widely available from supermarkets and high street chains.

Some even compel parents to purchase items from the school itself – often at twice the price they might pay for the same clothing elsewhere - with profits going towards school funds.

Now Citizens Advice is calling on all schools to do their bit to help family budgets by adopting sensible, low cost policies on uniform which comply with the official guidance on affordability.

Citizens Advice Chief executive Gillian Guy said:

“As thousands of youngsters prepare for the return to school in September the question for many struggling families will be: “how do we afford it ?”

“In the current economic climate, and at a time when academies - many with expensive new uniforms - are springing up to replace existing schools, it’s all the more important that schools do what they can to keep costs down for families who are under severe financial pressure.

“Yet evidence from our bureau network shows that many schools are continuing to overlook official guidance which says that the cost of uniforms, sports kit and other “essentials” should be kept to a minimum.

“By following simple, cost-cutting steps schools really can help families at this time of greatest need. We want to see them making uniform available from a wide selection of suppliers or by offering iron-on and sew-on badges as options.

“Local councils can play an important role too. Citizens Advice research shows that while more than 40% of local authorities are continuing to provide school uniform grants, nearly 60% are not, leaving parents having to approach local charities for help – or risk their children facing discipline for not having the correct uniform.”


The Citizens Advice Adding Up** campaign is challenging schools to help out families by following these simple recession-busting tips:


Recent cases include the following:

A CAB saw a parent on a low income with two children. In September, one of the children is starting at a new secondary school with a policy that all children must be in uniform bought from the school's own uniform shop. She has been told that failure to buy uniform from this shop will result in the pupil being unable to attend school. The price list from the school shows that the uniform will cost a minimum of £179. The local authority does not provide any school uniform grants and she also has to buy uniform for her second child at a further cost of £100.. She is very distressed and worried she will be unable to afford the uniforms.

A CAB saw a parent whose daughter attends a local comprehensive school where all uniform including gym kit has to be branded with the school logo. Uniform can only be bought at one specialist shop in the city which also supplies the uniforms to local public schools and therefore costs are excessively high. The parent is on a low income and also has debts and the cost of the uniform makes these problems worse.

A CAB saw a lone parent on jobseekers allowance whose 12 year old daughter attends a local comprehensive with a compulsory school uniform. The mother has to buy it from the school and cannot get a cheaper version from the high street. This costs her approximately £100 per term as her daughter is growing fast. The local authority does not help with school uniforms so she has had to borrow money from family to pay for the school uniform. Students are sent home if they do not wear the correct uniform purchased directly from the school.

A CAB saw a couple on a low income with two secondary school aged children. Their school closed down and the replacement school has a new uniform with a single monopoly supplier. The new school head is imposing a strict dress code but the family cannot afford to kit out both children with sports kit - indoor and outdoor - and day-to-day uniform. The school had been open less than a week when one of the children was told his black shoes were not suitable as they have visible white stitching around the sole. There is no provision to support poorer families, and these parents are worried that their children will be singled out for not being able to comply with the school’s policy on uniform and feel stigmatised.

A CAB saw a parent who works and receives working and child tax credit. She has two children at secondary school and has to pay the full cost of school uniform for both, including some items only available from the school and not from any other retailer. This has cost her £180 for each child and she has got into debt and struggles to cope financially. The local authority does not offer any help with the cost of uniforms.


*DCSF guidance to schools on school uniform and related policies

CAB evidence suggests little has changed since Department of Education research carried out in 2007 and published last year (2009) showed that more than a quarter (27%) of families on incomes less than £15,000 were spending more than 20% of their income on school costs, and one in six (17%) of parents had to buy all items of uniform and PE kit from a designated shop or the school itself. This is despite the fact that Government guidance to Governors has, since 2004, emphasised that, clothing should be available ‘off the peg’, so parents can shop around for the most cost-effective option.

**Citizens Advice Adding Up campaign

Notes to editors

  1. The Citizens Advice service comprises a network of local bureaux, all of which are independent charities, and national charity Citizens Advice. Together we help people resolve their money, legal and other problems by providing information and advice and by influencing policymakers. For more information in England and Wales see citizensadvice.org.uk
  2. The advice provided by the Citizens Advice service is free, independent, confidential, and impartial, and available to everyone regardless of race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, religion, age or nationality. For online advice and information see adviceguide.org.uk
  3. Citizens Advice Bureaux in England and Wales advised 2.1 million clients on 7.1 million problems from April 2010 to March 2011. For full 2010/2011 service statistics see: citizensadvice.org.uk/press_statistics
  4. Out of 22 national charities, the Citizens Advice service is ranked by the general public as being the most helpful, approachable, professional, informative, effective / cost effective, reputable and accountable. (nfpSynergy’s Brand Attributes survey, May 2010).
  5. Most Citizens Advice service staff are trained volunteers, working at around 3,300 service outlets across England and Wales.