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New government guidelines on children’s school uniform ‘far more affordable’

Branded school uniform on display
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Logos and branded items must be kept to a minimum, and uniform must be available on the High Street, making school uniform more accessible for parents and carers.

New government guidelines on children’s school uniform means that there is a legal requirement for schools to make uniform available from High Street shops.

Logos and branded items must also be kept to a minimum, making school uniform accessible for parents and carers.

Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi said that the guidelines would make uniforms ‘’far more affordable.”

According to data produced by Schoolwear Association, uniform costs £101.19 on average for a child attending secondary school.

‘Hundreds of pounds a year’

Qabriz Abdul, a secondary school math teacher and mother of two from Bradford, said she pays around £200 a year on average for both her children’s uniforms.

She had previously benefited from government vouchers which lowered the cost of uniform.

However, due to councils axing uniform grants, she now receives lower funding for clothes.

”It’s now going to be a lot more convenient and affordable to buy uniform from a High Street,” explains Mrs. Abdul.

”However, I still don’t think that schools sympathise with the financial situations of parents. Children grow very fast, so they only use the uniform a few times, if ever, before having to put it away. I’ve spent £30 on a blazer that my child only wore once, and now I have no use for it.

“My sister spends hundreds of pounds a year on her three children.

”Given these situations, schools should put in place measures where parents can hand in second hand uniform, specifically-branded items, and have parents reuse them.”

Costs halved with new measures

With the new measures in place, costs can be reduced by up to 50%.

In the UK, an estimated 350,000 tonnes of clothes end up in landfill every year.

Employing second-hand uniform for school uniform can reduce waste, whilst making it more affordable for parents.

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