Labour’s school uniform crackdown ‘means bigger bills for parents’

Labour’s crackdown on branded school uniforms will backfire and increase costs for parents, a Tory analysis claims.

The Tories say the Government’s plan will raise the cost of uniforms by up to 80 per cent as families fork out on more expensive high street brands for their children.

Ministers plan to cap the number of branded uniform items that schools can impose at three, plus a tie, in an attempt to bring down costs for parents.

Bridget Phillipson, the Education Secretary, has said the changes are designed to protect families from “racketeers and the private school lobby”.

Analysis by the Tories, based on figures from the Schoolwear Association, suggests parents face a sharp increase in costs.

Research by the association has found that schools are most likely to remove PE kits from the list of branded items they require pupils to wear.

The Conservatives claim that would mean switching to high street sportswear, with children pressuring their parents to buy the most prestigious brands.

Ministers disputed the analysis, pointing to a 2023 survey which found PE kit was £45 cheaper when bought from suppliers rather than school shops.

The cost of a sports top from schoolwear retailers is typically around £11.10 while one from a premium brand like Adidas costs £19.99, or 80 per cent more.

‘Backfiring piece of micromanagement’

The Tories said that averaged out across a total PE kit would mean costs rising from around £42.94 per child at the moment to £77.29 in future.

They said that as a result, parents across England face the risk of having to fork out an extra £312 million just on PE kit alone.

Neil O’Brien, the shadow schools minister, said: “Labour’s ideological plan to effectively outlaw uniform PE kit is madness.

“These badly thought-through changes by the Government will end up with kids pressuring their parents for expensive sportswear brands and the latest trends.

“Cheaper school uniforms will get replaced with more expensive brands meaning bigger bills for parents just to keep up – something Labour seems to be paying no attention to as they press ahead in the face of warnings from school leaders.

“The Government should think again on this backfiring piece of micromanagement.”

It came as hundreds of industry representatives penned a letter to Ms Phillipson warning her the policy will only serve to drive up costs.

Branding the cap “a blunt and unnecessary intervention that will create more problems than it solves”, they wrote: “The consequences will be significant.

“Families will face higher long-term costs as they are forced to purchase lower-quality alternatives that wear out more quickly and require frequent replacement.

“This policy risks undermining the very principles it seeks to protect, imposing further costs on families, limiting schools’ ability to maintain identity and discipline, and threatening the future of many small businesses that have served communities for decades.”

‘Deeply disappointing mischaracterisation’

Business owners pointed to figures which show uniform costs have fallen by a quarter since 2021 when schools were told to prioritise affordability.

In the letter, they also warned that 88 per cent of jobs in the sector could be lost as a result of the cap, with two in three providers shutting down.

They railed against Ms Phillipson describing them as “racketeers”, saying it was “a deeply disappointing mischaracterisation” of family-run firms.

A Department for Education spokesman said: “It is simply wrong to suggest that limiting the number of branded uniform items will lead to parents spending more on PE kits.

“Too many families tell us the cost of school uniforms remains an issue.

“Through our Plan for Change, we’re removing barriers to opportunity, including by restricting the number of branded uniform items, giving families the freedom to choose cheaper non-branded items, saving them around £50 a year.

“Schools are required by law to set a uniform policy that considers the financial burden on families, including how to address issuing including peer pressure around designer clothing.”

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