UNIFORMAL WARNING...
Spiralling prices ‘influence school selection’
MOUNTING costs of school uniforms are piling pressure on stretched family budgets.
And campaigners say parents are picking schools on the basis of their ability to pay.
Mums and dads reveal branded blazers can be more than £90, socks £15 a pair, skirts £57, hats nearly £28 and jumpers £20-plus.
Angry teachers’ leaders claim the sky-high prices are creating an “unofficial form of pupil selection”.
MP Frank Field, who chairs the Commons Work and Pensions Committee, leads a Westminster Hall debate tonight on the subject.
He will press Schools Minister Nick Gibb to urge the Treasury to exempt all uniforms from VAT.
While young children’s clothes are spared the 20% levy, bigger kids need adult sizes.
Anti-poverty campaigner Mr Field said: “When the schools went back, too many parents were struggling to put food on the table as they had to fork out hundreds of pounds for uniforms and PE kits.
“In this debate, I’ll be asking the minister to join me in making a plea to Chancellor Philip Hammond.”
Figures from teachers’ union NASUWT revealed 38% of parents spent between £101 and £200 per child on uniforms in the past year while the cost to more than a quarter was between £201 and £300.
Chris Keates, from NASUWT, said: “The cost of the uniform is leading to selection by wealth. “Over a quarter of parents are now choosing their child’s school on the basis of whether they can afford to send their child there. “This is a shocking indictment of the impact of this Government’s education policies.” 38% of parents spent up to this amount per child on their uniform in a year