Minister backs schools over uniforms policies

SCHOOLS ARE right to implement strict uniforms policies that clamp down on “footwear competitiveness”, the Education Secretary has said.

Speaking at the Education World Forum yesterday, Damian Hinds described uniform as an “important leveller” for disadvantaged students.

He was asked whether stringent policies should be in place to help poor children who go to school to find their classmates wearing designer shoes or coats.

Mr Hinds said: “Uniform itself is an important leveller and I think does play a really important role in that sense.

“Schools of course can, and in some cases do, have rules to make sure that you don’t get some of the kind of ‘footwear competitiveness’ - more likely to be trainers I think, than black school shoes.

“Whatever policy a school individually sets, I think for someone in my role the most important thing is to support them whenever they are doing that in a reasonable way.”

Mr Hinds was speaking after addressing world leaders in education, telling them he had made narrowing the attainment gap and targeting the most disadvantaged a “top priority”.

In November, it was reported that Woodchurch High School in Birkenhead had banned pupils from wearing expensive designer coats in an attempt to stop poverty shaming.