Does your PE kit have to be school branded?

Does your school have a branded PE kit?

The summer holidays may be the focus of lots of children and young people at the moment, but many parents and guardians will be soon be thinking about school uniforms for the next academic year.

The new government, has set out some new plans, aiming to limit the number of branded uniform items schools in England can ask you to wear, and to make things cheaper for parents.

If the law is passed, this means lots of pupils could see a change to the rules around their PE kits, many of which are currently branded with school logos.

We want to hear from you about this - what rules does your school have around PE kit? Do you have to use school-branded kit or can you mix and match?

Let us know in the vote below and have your say on the idea in the comments too.

Why have people been talking about branded uniforms?

Research suggests current uniform costs aren't ideal for parents and guardians.

Two out of every three secondary school parents find uniforms too expensive, according to a Children’s Society survey of 2,000 parents, and one in three need to buy four or more branded items as part of their child's uniform.

“Many families are still having to fork out hundreds of pounds each year,” says the Society's boss Mark Russell .

What are the current rules?

Current rules tell head teachers to keep items with school branding on to a minimum.

Schools are already required by law introduced to limit the number of branded uniform items students need, to avoid single-supplier contracts, which is when uniforms can only be purchased from one provider, and to also make sure second-hand uniforms are available.

Before coming to power, Bridget Phillipson, who is now the education secretary for schools in England, said the number of branded items should be limited to three.

Some parents struggle to afford school branded PE kits

However, it's also been suggested getting rid of having school-branded PE kits could lead to students not wanting to take part in PE, as they may compare their sportswear to that of their classmates.

The argument is that if everyone is wearing the same thing, there's no-one showing off with fancy sports gear.

“Participation in sports is dropping off - and if you then add to that the fact that students might be anxious because they do not have the brand that their friends have, I think you'd see a bigger drop off," said Matthew Easter from the Schoolwear Association.

However, the government says buying costly school-branded PE kits are a barrier to participation and no child should be excluded or discouraged because they don't have the right kit.

The Department for Education, which oversees education in England, hasn't yet made a decision on the exact number of branded items schools will have to stick to.

However, it says it hopes the move will not only "help reduce costs for parents" but remove "barriers to children accessing sport".