Cost of living: Demand for free school uniforms rockets, says charity

A Better Fit said second-hand clothes they're given are leaving their warehouse as soon as they arrive

Demand for free school uniforms has rocketed as the cost of living crisis continues to bite, a charity has revealed.

A Better Fit said second-hand clothes they're given are leaving their warehouse as soon as they arrive.

Kathryn Wakeham, who set up the organisation in Cardiff four years ago, said the rise was "over tenfold".

The Welsh government said grants were available for those eligible for free uniforms.

Children's Commissioner for Wales, Rocio Cifuentes, said she wanted the Welsh government to come up with a child poverty action plan.

The charity's Kathryn Wakeham said demand for uniforms was up tenfold

Ms Wakeham, whose organisation covers Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan, said: "Most parents say they are able to source basics like the school trousers and polo shirts.

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"But the cost of blazers and PE kits is astronomically high, and you need more than one.

"And often there is a complete school uniform change when children move years, so you have to buy new, regardless of the size of the child.

"It is really difficult for parents to keep up with the sheer amount of cost to kit a child out for school."

The Children's Society, which has been campaigning for affordable school uniforms, estimates that the average uniform for secondary schools was £337 in 2020.

Parents it surveyed believed a more reasonable cost would be a third of that.

'Really adds up'

Rebecca Sharp needs a complete new uniform for her son.

He has left primary school and is going to high school in September.

"It is just so expensive to go out and buy everything brand new," the nurse said.

"If you buy all the branded jumpers, PE kit, football boots, socks and the tie and everything you need you are talking about hundreds.

"The only thing you can buy from the supermarket is white shirt, black trousers, black shoes."

For everything else specialist shops are required.

Ms Sharp said: "It really adds up, because you are not just buying one of everything.

"Other parents are telling me they are facing the same problems. I have donated a lot of my children's uniforms and I have now exchanged them for new."

Trustee Christine Nomme said their work had ballooned into a huge operation

The Welsh government said: "Learners who are currently eligible for free school meals can apply for a grant towards school uniform, school trips, and kit.

"The grant this year is for £225 per learner, or £300 for those going into year seven to recognise the increased costs associated with starting secondary school.

"For this year only, the grants are an extra £100."

Ms Wakeham said this was not enough.

She said: "You could probably kit a child out for £150 in a primary school, but in high school it is so much more, and the money does not stretch far enough and it is means tested.

"We're seeing working parents finding things really difficult now, not just parents who aren't on such a secure income."

Charity trustee and volunteer, Christine Nomme, said their work had ballooned into a huge operation.

She said: "Some items are more difficult to get hold of, especially the more expensive items of clothing such as school blazers with the badge on them.

"Many school blazers aren't generic, they often have a trim and a badge on the pocket, so you can't just go out and buy a generic blazer and put a school badge on."

Ms Nomme called for more flexibility from schools.

"As long as people have the right colour for the uniforms, you can then put a badge on it," she said.

Children's Commissioner for Wales Rocio Cifuentes said there were 190,000 children living in poverty and the cost of living crisis was "biting hard".

Uniforms, she feared, presented another bill for already stretched families.

She encouraged the Welsh government to make grants as accessible as possible.

She said: "Families will be drowning in costs even with this help.

"That's why I want the Welsh government to publish a clear outcome-focused child poverty action plan, showing how they will target help at children and families to help them during the worst cost of living crisis in living memory."

She insisted it was "vital" school governors followed statutory guidance on keeping down uniform costs.

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