Education Minister has launched a public
consultation seeking views on school uniform policy.
The Minister has previously said that he wanted to ensure no
families are excluded from the school of their choice because of
the prohibitive cost of a uniform.
Launching the consultation, the Minister said:
“I am clear that my overarching aim is
to ensure that all school governing bodies put affordability,
comfort and sustainability at the centre of their decision-making
when they set their school uniform requirements.
“School uniforms play an important part in the engagement
of pupils with their school. I recognise that
many schools in Northern Ireland follow the existing guidance and
work hard to keep the costs of school uniforms as low as
possible. However, I know that some schools continue to have
uniform policies where certain items are expensive or restrictive
in where parents or carers can buy a uniform.”
The Department has engaged with key interest groups and
stakeholders, and this has informed the current proposals
outlined in the consultation document. The consultation
focuses on two key areas:
a. introducing statutory guidance; and,
b. introducing a cap on uniform costs.
The Minister continued: “At a time of growing pressure on
family budgets, the cost of a school uniform should not be a
factor that parents or carers need to consider when selecting
which school they wish their child to attend. I want to create a
system where schools, supported by appropriate legislation and
policy, will ensure that their uniforms are affordable for
all.”
Concluding, the Minister said: “I encourage as many
people as possible to give their views and feedback on the
consultation proposals in order to shape final policy proposals
and legislation on this important issue.”
The consultation period will run from 20 June 2024 until 27
September inclusive.
Notes to editors:
1. The Minister announced on 5 March that he intended to launch a
consultation on placing current guidance for schools on uniform
policy into legislation and also the introduction of a price cap
for school uniforms.
2. The consultation centres around six key principles which
will underpin the proposed guidance on uniforms These principles
are that:
a. school uniforms should be:
- affordable,
- comfortable and
- sustainable; and,
b. school uniform policies should be:
- developed in partnership with pupils and their parents/
carers,
- published and
- regularly reviewed.
