School uniforms: Children's charity says uniforms cost hundred of pounds a year

Parents are still having to spend hundreds of pounds on school uniform despite rules meant to lower the costs, according to a charity.

The Children's Society found parents spent on average £287 on primary uniforms and £422 a year on secondary uniforms.

It says some school rules that required parents to buy costlier branded items were partly to blame, and also points to parents having to replace items that get damaged by kids as the year goes on.

The government says it is working to ensure "uniform costs are reasonable".

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In England, councils can offer help with uniform costs, and in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland there is a system of grants, or payments, to help parents pay.

Under laws brought in last year, schools in England are meant to be helping cut uniform costs.

That could be by promoting cheaper second-hand uniform options or removing unnecessary branded items from their uniform lists.

However, the Children's Society found pupils were still expected to have an average of three branded items of uniform, while almost a third of secondary school pupils are required to own four to five branded items.

Logos make school uniforms more expensive

In Wales, schools set their uniform and appearance rules but government guidance states they should limit logos to one item of clothing.

Also last year the Welsh government said it will look into changing the rules more - asking whether schools should have no logo, or use iron-on logos free of charge.

The Scottish government also did some research into ways of cutting the cost of school uniforms. On its website it says that public responses have been studied and a report will be published shortly.

In Northern Ireland, Koulla Yiasouma the Children's Commissioner - who looks after the rights of children - had called for the the Northern Ireland Assembly to "step up" on uniform costs.

The NI government also said it was looking into how much support it could give to parents to help pay for uniforms - but due to the Northern Ireland Assembly not sitting at the moment, there's been no changes yet.

Detentions and mental health worries

Not being able to afford the right school uniform could also impact children's wellbeing, the Children's Society warned.

In its latest survey, it said that 22% of parents told them their child had been put in detention for breaking uniform rules due to being unable to afford the right clothing.

Mark Russell, chief executive of The Children's Society, said: "With inflation and the cost of living eating into family budgets, we are disappointed that the affordability of school uniforms remains a significant financial burden for many families.

"While some schools have made commendable changes to reduce costs, this positive trend is still not widespread enough. "

A spokesperson for the Department for Education said it strongly encourages schools to have a uniform, as it can contribute to the ethos of a school.

But it said that: "We will continue to work with responsible bodies and schools to ensure the guidance is followed and uniform policies are reasonable."