On School Uniforms

Anne Watson
Oxford Friends Action against Poverty

‘No parent should have to lie awake at night wondering about how they’ll afford their child’s uniform. When done right, a school uniform brings people together, and can help everyone feel they fit in. But expensive uniforms do the opposite’.

Quoted from the Children’s Society
Cutting the cost of uniform’s leaflet

The UK Government introduced legislation in September 2022 as a result of research and campaigning undertaken by The Children’s Society over 7 years, to ensure that school uniforms are practical and affordable by all parents.

Wikimedia Commons photo

Under this Act of Parliament, Schools are now required:

  • To publish their uniform policy online
  • To consider the overall cost of a child’s uniform over their time in the school, including its replacement due to child’s growth
  • To introduce competitive tendering for uniform suppliers
  • To ensure pre-loved uniforms are available via sales or swap shops
  • To avoid having house colours that limit parent’s ability to hand down clothes to younger children
  • To limit the use of a school logo
  • To ensure that clothing is available from the widest possible number of outlets so that parents can choose the best deals.

Finally, if you are a worried parent, take this leaflet along to the school, and ask if they believe their school has complied with the 2022 law. Maybe they can give you some money towards the cost?


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Forty-Three Newsletter • Number 522 • October 2022
Oxford Friends Meeting
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