Bláthnaid, Pat and Maura back our school uniforms campaign
Charities and celebrities add their voices to Mail campaign against pricey school uniforms parents are forced to pay for
SEVERAL high-profile names have thrown their weight behind the Irish Daily Mail’s campaign against the high cost of school uniforms.
Pat Kenny, Maura Derrane and Bláthnaid Ní Chofaigh have hit out at high back-to-school bills.
As it emerged that some school skirts cost more than €70, children’s charity Barnardos said parents are being forced into debt for the sake of a uniform.
CLOTHES r etailers are charging parents as much as €70 for school skirts.
The startling figure has come to light in the Irish Daily Mail’s campaign highlighting the exorbitant cost of school uniforms for hard-pressed parents.
Echoing concerns expressed during the week on the issue, charities Barnardos and St Vincent de Paul said parents are facing financial debt for the sake of a uniform.
The Mail revealed this week that some schools are insisting that parents fork out up to €55 for a school jumper alone, even though an adequate jumper can be bought at Tesco for as little as €3.75, with a school crest then sewn on.
Yesterday, celebrities Maura Derrane, Bláthnaid Ní Chofaigh and Pat Kenny backed our campaign, agreeing that parents were being pressured into paying way too much for a child’s uniform.
Barnardos said parents are putting themselves into debt ‘for the sake of a uniform’, adding families are resorting to moneylenders to pay for the mandatory outfits.
A new survey by the Mail on the cost of school skirts can reveal some retailers are charging as much as €70 for a size 12 to 14 school skirt, rising to €75 for a size
‘Same skirt can be worn for six years’
18. In Mullaney Brothers in Sligo, the cost of size 10 school skirt for Mercy College students in Sligo is a staggering €69.95, while a size 10 for students attending Ursuline College in Sligo costs €64.95. The shop also charges €75 for a size 16 skirt for Mercy College students.
In Dublin, meanwhile, Uniform Warehouse in Montrose – which supply uniforms to several Dublin schools – is charging parents €64 for a school skirt.
A spokeswoman for the shop declined to comment but added the uniforms were ‘better quality’.
Last night, John Mullaney Snr, owner of Mullaneys, said uniforms are made to an ‘agreed specification’ that is ‘carefully arranged’ by the parents, wearers and parents’ councils.
He said: ‘Simply all of our school uniforms are sold to the lowest economic cost. They haven’t fallen off the boat from China. It sees them right through school.’
Elsewhere, Lynch’s of Marino, which supplies uniforms for a number of Dublin schools, are charging parents as much as €64.95 for a wrap-around kilt for pupils in transition year, fifth year and sixth year attending the Holy Faith school in Clontarf, Dublin. Last night, RTÉ host Maura Derrane said: ‘Parents are under enough financial pressure these days and if they could get a generic uniform for a cheaper price, then I’m sure any parent would welcome that.’
Fellow RTÉ star Bláthnaid Ní Chofaigh also backed the campaign, adding that she would prefer to see more than just one shop supplying a school uniform.
‘The schools need to give three or four shops the contract (to supply their uniform) and then they can be competitive with their price.’
Newstalk host Pat Kenny said he believes schools shouldn’t have a specific store for their uniforms. He said: ‘The spec should be general so that the gear can be sourced at any store, with stitch- on crests/ badges available from the school. The schools should also organise thrift sales for used uniforms (in good condition) every year.’
Last night, Paul Lynch of Lynch’s in Marino, Dublin, defended the high cost of skirts at their shop, claiming the price is based on the quality of material, adding it is the parents’ associations in schools that are opting for the particular skirt.
He said: ‘ The cheaper places couldn’t beat us for price if they used the same polyviscose material (we use).’ He added: The argument that kids grow out of uniforms cannot be used for secondary schools at all. The same skirt can be worn for the six years in some cases.’
He said his shop charges, on average, €75 for a primary school uniform, while a secondary school uniform can cost €160. June Tinsley, head of advocacy at Barnardos, said: ‘Parents are constantly contacting us about the pressures that are under them, admitting they’re getting into serious debt for the sake of a uniform.’
Jim Walsh, a spokesman for St Vincent De Paul, said parents should talk to their school’s board of management about addressing the problem of costly uniforms.