Parents must be allowed to shop around for uniforms

SCHOOLS must allow parents to buy cheaper uniforms at Asda and Tesco, the Competition and Markets Authority has told the Government.

In a letter to the Education Secretary, the chairman of the CMA said it receives a “surge of complaints” from parents and carers every summer about the “excessive cost of uniforms, where school policies prevent items being purchased from cheaper alternative suppliers”.

Often schools insist on parents purchasing uniforms from a particular supplier, despite much cheaper – and often identical – alternatives being available in supermarkets.

Lord Andrew Tyrie urged Gavin Williamson to introduce statutory guidance for schools on the issue, warning that “action is needed as soon as parliamentary time allows”.

He explained that in 2015, the CMA wrote to schools and uniform suppliers, reminding them that competition law may prohibit certain conduct and exclusive arrangements between schools and uniform suppliers.

“Having considered this issue many times, the CMA has concluded that statutory guidance is needed as the simplest and most direct way of delivering change,” he added.

♦ “Online schools” are to be inspected under government plans, amid concern over rising numbers of home educated children.

Ministers are proposing to introduce a voluntary accreditation programme to ensure that online courses use appropriate teaching materials.