Families shouldn't have to be out of pocket when it comes to
setting their child up for school.
That's why our new Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill will
introduce measures to help with school uniform costs and
introduce free breakfast clubs in all
state-funded primary schools in England.
But what do these changes mean to parents and pupils? Here's what
you need to know.
Help with school uniform costs
School uniforms can contribute to a sense of belonging for
students as well as reducing peer pressure when it comes to
clothing choices.
But we know many families are struggling with the mounting cost
of school uniforms – with half of parents feeling concerned about
the cost of uniforms and 12% saying they have been in financial
hardship as a result.
Many schools are already taking steps to reduce school uniforms
costs, but others still require 10 or more branded items per
child. That means those parents have fewer options to buy cheaper
uniform items from the high street or supermarkets.
The Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill will ban schools from
requiring parents to buy more than three branded items as part of
the school uniform. Secondary and Middle schools will be able to
require an additional branded item if one of those items is a
branded tie. The government is clear that these items should be
limited to low-cost and long-wearing items only.
This means, for the first time, no school in England will
be able to require unnecessarily large numbers of branded items,
so no parent will be unfairly disadvantaged.
How much will parents save?
Currently 24% of primary and 70% of secondary schools still
require five or more branded items, with some parents saying they
were asked to provide 10 or more. Others already require less
than three or four branded items. That means savings will depend
on the reduction in branded items required.
Costs will vary from supplier to supplier, but parents of pupils
at schools that have to remove at least one item could save on
average around £14 per primary pupil and £19 per secondary pupil.
This is because there will be more options available to parents
when it comes to buying their uniform.
How else can families save money on uniform
costs?
Some families may be able to get grants to help with paying for
school uniforms, depending on their local authority and whether
they are eligible.
Some schools or trusts run their own schemes to help with uniform
costs, but they should also help make second-hand uniforms
available to parents. This can be through setting up a
second-hand uniform scheme or by signposting parents to an
existing one.
Free breakfast clubs
The Bill will also mean all primary school children in
state-funded schools will have the option to attend a free
breakfast club – ensuring children have a settled start to the
day and time with friends so they are ready to learn.
Some clubs will launch from as early as April 2025 at schools
taking part in the early adopter scheme. The
changes in the Bill will mean the programme will be rolled out to
every state-funded primary school.
Further details about the timing of this wider roll out will be
made available in due course.
What other measures are in the Children's Wellbeing and
School's Bill?
You can read more about further measures in the Bill to help
children and families, from school reform and home
education to safeguarding at our Education Hub post here.
