Bid for cheaper school uniforms close to victory
PARENTS could soon save hundreds of pounds on their children’s school uniforms following a campaign by a Rochdale councillor.
Last year, Coun for Spotland and Falinge, Faisal Rana, launched a nationwide online petition calling for an end to rip-off uniform prices and demanding schools end the practice of forcing parents to shop at specialist retailers where prices can be as much as three times higher.
He wrote letters to government ministers calling for action to force schools to have a basic uniform and outlaw the practice of using single, and more expensive, providers.
Rochdale councillors passed a resolution supporting the campaign and the borough’s three Party leaders wrote to schools asking them to reduce the cost of their uniforms.
Now, a new law by MP for Weaver Vale Mike Amesbury has passed its final hurdle in the House of Commons and goes to the Lords for approval.
It means schools will be told they can specify basic items such as trousers and shirts - but not styles.
It will allow parents to buy a cheaper supermarket kit instead of branded clothing from a single supplier that costs an average £340 a year for secondary schools and £255 for primaries.
Councillor Rana said: “I support school uniforms.
“They are a great social leveller and can work out cheaper as children are less pressured to wear the latest designer clothes.
“However, current school uniform policies are failing young people, who can face isolation and even exclusion for not being able to afford the ‘right’ branded school gear. Some schools even demand the school’s logo on gym socks!
“Parents should not be told to use only specialist shops when they can buy clothes just as good at supermarkets and discount retailers at a fraction of the price.
“We must not force parents to choose between putting food on the table and buying their school’s expensive branded uniforms, especially when budgets are so tight due to the impact of the pandemic. Mike Amesbury’s new law is great news for all parents who are fed up at being ripped-off every year when they kit out their children for school.
“I’d like to thank him and all the MPS who supported the it and also the Children’s Society who have campaigned for so long for this change.”
The Education (Guidance about Costs of School Uniforms) Bill has passed its third reading in the Commons and now goes to the House of Lords to be debated, where government support means it is expected to pass.