Will new uniform rules save parents money?

• Published

A new law coming into force this school term means parents in England should have to buy fewer branded items of uniform, which the government has said will save them money.

This term uniforms will be limited to three items with a school logo, like a blazer, jumper or sportswear – plus a tie for secondary schools.

The government said some families would save up to £50 per child, but school wear suppliers have argued it could mean parents actually spend more in the long run.

We have spoken to a Fareham mum, a second-hand uniform bank and a Hampshire headteacher about the changes.

Mum-of-three Kay Devonshire-Murphy, from Fareham, said she stockpiled uniforms across the year from charity shops and second hand sales.

She said having to buy three branded items was still too many.

"A PE top cost me £18 the other day and I had to buy three, that's massively expensive for a PE top," she said.

"Only three items is fine, but they're still really expensive in the places they're being sold.

"This year I had to buy a new blazer for my son, that was £30, a new tie.

"Overall I spent £75 just for the branded stuff per child. That's a lot of money if you've got more than one child."

Councillor Gemma Furnivall set up a second-hand uniform bank in Fareham after noticing how quickly her eight-year-old son was growing out of things.

"Sometimes it's hard for people to admit that they struggle with the cost of uniform," she said.

"But I hear from a lot of parents who are moving to secondary school and really struggling with that long list of new uniform.

"The people who come to the bank, they go away with huge bags of stuff."

She said the new law showed the government was "taking seriously that this is a pressure point for families"

"And it's a big signal to schools to actually remember that that's a real problem, so that limit of branded items will make a difference," she added.

At The Petersfield School in Hampshire there is already a uniform policy of only four items with a logo.

But headteacher Mark Marande said he believed having some branded items was still important.

"We have thought very carefully about which items are to be branded things like the blazer, the PE top with the house colours really helps them with their sense of belonging," he said.

"I think if you move away completely from branded, that would be damaging to the sense of belonging and pride the students have when coming to school."

"We also recognise that on non-school uniform days attendance can dip as it can put quite a lot of pressure on students to have a particular set of trainers or a particular top or whatever that might be and uniform completely eliminates all of that."

The Schoolwear Association said the plans could mean parents spend more on replacing lower-quality generic garments, which might not last as long as branded ones.

A spokesperson told the BBC it could also create division in schools, because branded uniforms helped to reduce inequality and improve behaviour.

According to the Department for Education (DfE), the average total cost for one child's school uniform was just under £250, based on the items required in the school year 2023/24 - with PE kit cost approximately £140.

A spokesperson said the government was supporting schools to take further steps to bring down the cost of individual items.

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