Where Are Discount School Uniforms?

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Some parents are still struggling to pay for expensive school uniforms because their child’s school insists on specific uniform from expensive suppliers not available on the high street, says a coalition of charities and the NUT. This is despite DfES guidelines which say that “school governing bodies are expected to give high priority to cost considerations.”

The schools costs campaign coalition, consisting of Barnardo’s, Child Poverty Action Group, Citizens Advice, End Child Poverty, the Family Welfare Association, One Parent Families, NUT and Save the Children is pushing the Government to enforce its own guidance which state that ‘No school uniform should be so expensive as to leave pupils or their families feeling socially excluded’. The situation is getting worse for families who struggle to afford school uniforms as fewer and fewer local authorities are providing uniform grants.

The OFT is currently investigating whether school uniform policies have a detrimental effect on low-income families, following complaints from parents about the high prices and poor quality of school uniforms.

“Until all school uniform policies change to allow parents to buy cheaper uniforms, low-income families will still feel the burden of high uniform costs. No child’s education should be damaged by their inability to afford specific uniforms, or the many other costs such as trips that parents incur. The DfES needs to tackle those schools which are ignoring the Government’s guidelines on making uniform affordable and look at providing more help for those on a low-income.”

The Family Welfare Association, a charity that provides school uniform grants, has seen a year on year increase in the number of parents applying to them for help. Last year it gave out almost £50,000 in school uniform grants which, at an average of £173 per child, was nearly four times the average grant awarded by Local Authorities. This was funded by Barclaycard through its Horizons project.

“Expensive school uniforms cause worry for parents in low-income families and can leave their children feeling isolated and the target of bullies. FWA is receiving more requests for help every year from families who simply can’t meet the costs of sending their child to school. Schools must respond by dropping ‘designer’ items from their uniform policies in favour of clothing that can be purchased from a range of retailers."

“Our ‘free’ school system in practice still levies charges on even the lowest-income parents. Many lone parents worry from one term to another about how they will afford the next school uniform and hate having to tell their child that they cannot afford an extra-curricular activity. The DfES must ensure that its guidelines on uniform costs are widely applied in order to reduce the risk of children being marginalised in school – including sometimes ridicule and bullying - simply because their parents are on a low income.”

New research from Norwich Union’s School Sums’ index, (16th August 2006), shows that the total UK parents have to spend on average is £1,300 per child per year on every-day costs of going to school – a rise of £200 over the last four years. In total parents can expect to spend an average of £14,000 per child for school-related costs from age five to 16.

Children from low-income families risk being isolated, stigmatised and bullied at school - simply because their parents cannot afford the cost of uniforms and ‘optional extras’ like school trips. Citizens Advice Bureaux report many parents being forced to borrow money to pay for uniforms, pushing families in already difficult circumstances into debt. Bureaux also report that children have been disciplined or ‘internally isolated’ for going to school without the correct uniform, even when the reason for this was that their parents could not afford to buy the required items.

As a response to the Citizens Advice report, Uniform failure, the Welsh Assembly launched a uniform grant scheme in 2005. The grant of £95 is available for all children entering year Seven who are entitled to free school meals and does not replace existing grant schemes, but provides extra support at a time of greatest need.

* Local authority scrutiny committees should check the impact of school costs on families and review what support is available.
* School governing bodies should ensure that their school uniform is kept simple, and is available from more than one outlet.
* DfES should produce a model charging policy for schools outlining good practice.
* OFSTED and schools should ensure that school policies promote the inclusion of children from low-income families.
* The Government should consider placing a statutory duty on local authorities to provide school uniform grants for children from low-income families. Central government should make funds available to enable local authorities to provide grants.

A CAB in Sussex advised a lone parent on income support who was struggling to meet her child’s expensive school uniform requirements. She had received a £35 uniform grant in September 2005 which was expected to have lasted her two years but did not even cover the cost of her child’s blazer. The blazer itself cost £65 and she was worried that meeting the full costs would push her into debt.

A Yorkshire CAB reported a single mother of three on income support who was struggling to provide uniform for one of her children to attend their local secondary school. They needed a blazer, indoor and outdoor shoes, and a special sports kit and sports bag. No grant was available from their local authority and she began to consider whether she should send her child to an alternative school five miles away that did not have such strict uniform requirements.

As part of its ongoing campaign, the school costs coalition will follow the experiences of a number of families over the coming academic year to see how much they have to pay for school-related costs.

* Ask the school if it offers any financial help towards uniform - this may be the school governing body or parents’ associations. It may be useful to refer to the DfES guidelines which can be found at: www.parentscentre.gov.uk/educationandlearning/schoollife/schooladministration/uniforms/

* Check which items must be bought from specific suppliers and which can be bought from other cheaper suppliers.

* Ask the school if they operate any ‘nearly new’ schemes for uniform

* Contact your local authority to see if they offer uniform grants. This may vary between cash grants or vouchers

* If your child is disabled and you are on income support or income-based job seekers’ allowance, you may be able to get a community care grant from the social fund.

* Lone parents may be eligible for grants from FWA through Barclaycard’s Horizons funds, of up to £200 per family. Go to www.fwa.org.uk for information

* Contact your local CAB for advice on applying for school uniform grants or go to www.adviceguide.org.uk .

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Where Are Discount School Uniforms?

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