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1725788

registered interest
date	30/08/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Uniforms
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the statutory guidance entitled Cost of school uniforms, published on 19 November 2021, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of amending that guidance to reduce the number of branded items required.
tabling member constituency	Runcorn and Helsby
tabling member printed	Mike Amesbury
uin	3065
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2024 answer text <p>The government has committed to legislate through the Children’s Wellbeing Bill to limit the number of items of branded uniform and PE kit that schools can require. This proposed legislation will go further than the current statutory guidance, which only requires schools to keep branded uniform items to a minimum.</p><p> </p><p>The existing statutory guidance will be updated once the new legislation has received Royal Assent. This will ensure that both work together to ensure that schools will need to justify every piece of branded uniform they include in their uniform policy. This will put an end to schools still requiring large numbers of branded items.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Newcastle upon Tyne North answering member printed Catherine McKinnell grouped question UIN 3429 question first answered 09/09/2024 11:22:09 answering member 4125 label Biography information for Catherine McKinnell
tabling member	4667 label Biography information for Mike Amesbury

1726159

registered interest
date	30/08/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Uniforms
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when her Department plans to update statutory guidance on the cost of school uniforms.
tabling member constituency	Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard
tabling member printed	Alex Mayer
uin	3429
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2024 answer text <p>The government has committed to legislate through the Children’s Wellbeing Bill to limit the number of items of branded uniform and PE kit that schools can require. This proposed legislation will go further than the current statutory guidance, which only requires schools to keep branded uniform items to a minimum.</p><p> </p><p>The existing statutory guidance will be updated once the new legislation has received Royal Assent. This will ensure that both work together to ensure that schools will need to justify every piece of branded uniform they include in their uniform policy. This will put an end to schools still requiring large numbers of branded items.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Newcastle upon Tyne North answering member printed Catherine McKinnell grouped question UIN 3065 question first answered 09/09/2024 11:22:09 answering member 4125 label Biography information for Catherine McKinnell
tabling member	5141

1692273

registered interest
date	27/02/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Uniforms
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the average costs to parents of providing school uniform for pupils attending (1) primary, and (2) secondary, state schools.
tabling member printed	Lord Weir of Ballyholme
uin	HL2818
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/03/2024 answer text <p>The department’s last report on the cost of school uniform, 'Cost of School Uniform 2015', was published in June 2015. This report found the average cost of school uniform was £212.88. At primary level the average cost was £192.14 for boys and £201.04 for girls, and at secondary level the average cost was £231.01 for boys and was £239.93 for girls. The report is attached.</p><p>In 2021, the department published statutory guidance on the cost of school uniform to ensure uniform is affordable for all families. This states that “school governing boards should give high priority to considerations of cost for parents, and they should be able to demonstrate how best value for money has been achieved when developing or making any change to their uniform policy”. It also sets out that branded items should be kept to a minimum. The guidance came into force in 2022 and is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-school-uniforms/cost-of-school-uniforms" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-school-uniforms/cost-of-school-uniforms</a>.</p><p>In December 2023, the department ran a repeat of the 2015 survey, asking parents about the cost of school uniform in 2023. The department is currently analysing the resulting data and expects to publish our findings later this spring.</p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 13/03/2024 16:39:25 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran attachment 1 file name Cost_of_school_uniform_2015.pdf title HL2818_pdf
tabling member	4970 label Biography information for Lord Weir of Ballyholme

1661076

registered interest
date	15/09/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Uniforms
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to monitor compliance with the statutory guidance entitled Cost of school uniforms, published on 19 November 2021; and if her Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of the cost of school uniforms on the level of children who do not attend school.
tabling member constituency	Hampstead and Kilburn
tabling member printed	Tulip Siddiq
uin	199790
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/09/2023 answer text <p>While it is the responsibility of school governing boards to determine their uniform policy, the Department expects schools to comply with the guidance on the cost of school uniforms. The Department continues to engage with the sector to ensure that schools are aware of their obligation to have regard to the guidance and in July 2023 published the results of a survey of school leaders looking at changes made as a result of the guidance. The survey results can be found at here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-and-college-panel-omnibus-surveys-for-2022-to-2023" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-and-college-panel-omnibus-surveys-for-2022-to-2023</a>.</p><p>The Department also continues to assess compliance with the guidance through engagement with key stakeholders, including school leaders and uniform suppliers, and via correspondence from parents.</p><p>The Department has no plans to make an assessment of the potential impact of the cost of school uniform on attendance. The guidance on the cost of school uniform is clear that, where it is suspected that financial hardship has resulted in a pupil not complying with a school’s published uniform policy, schools should take a mindful and considerate approach to resolve the situation.</p><p>Last year, the Government introduced strong new expectations on schools and Local Authorities to work together to tackle absence. The Department will continue to monitor attendance data to understand and assess the impact of the attendance reforms.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 25/09/2023 11:04:18 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4518 label Biography information for Tulip Siddiq

1658894

registered interest
date	06/09/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Uniforms
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what support is available for families to meet the costs of school uniforms; and what information they collect on the cost and uptake of such support.
tabling member printed	Lord Weir of Ballyholme
uin	HL9960
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/09/2023 answer text <p>Rather than subsiding expensive uniform policies with financial assistance, the department published statutory guidance on the cost of school uniform to ensure uniform is affordable for all families. The guidance came into force in September 2022 and is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-school-uniforms/cost-of-school-uniforms" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-school-uniforms/cost-of-school-uniforms</a>.</p><p>Schools must have regard to this guidance when designing and implementing their uniform policy. The guidance requires schools to ensure that their uniform is affordable and secures best value for money for parents.</p><p>There is no specific funding for schools to support families to meet the costs of school uniform, but schools may offer additional support in cases of financial hardship where they choose to do so.</p><p>The department does not collect information on the cost and uptake of support for families to meet the costs of school uniform.</p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 20/09/2023 15:46:39 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	4970 label Biography information for Lord Weir of Ballyholme

1657237

registered interest
date	01/09/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Uniforms
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's statutory guidance on the Cost of school uniforms published on 19 November 2021, whether her Department has received any complaints from (a) parents and (b) carers in England on the guidance in (i) 2022 and (ii) 2021.
tabling member constituency	Weaver Vale
tabling member printed	Mike Amesbury
uin	196881
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/09/2023 answer text <p>The Department started recording complaints from parents and carers about compliance with the cost of school uniforms guidance in September 2022, when the statutory guidance, published in November 2021, came into force.</p><p>The Department received no complaints in 2021 and received two complaints in 2022. Since the guidance came into force, the Department has contacted three schools about complaints concerning schools not complying with the statutory guidance on the cost of school uniforms.</p><p>The statutory guidance can be accessed at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-school-uniforms/cost-of-school-uniforms" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-school-uniforms/cost-of-school-uniforms</a>.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb grouped question UIN 196882 question first answered 11/09/2023 16:05:31 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4667 label Biography information for Mike Amesbury

1657238

registered interest
date	01/09/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Uniforms
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools her Department has communicated with about complaints concerning uniform policy costs since November 2021.
tabling member constituency	Weaver Vale
tabling member printed	Mike Amesbury
uin	196882
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/09/2023 answer text <p>The Department started recording complaints from parents and carers about compliance with the cost of school uniforms guidance in September 2022, when the statutory guidance, published in November 2021, came into force.</p><p>The Department received no complaints in 2021 and received two complaints in 2022. Since the guidance came into force, the Department has contacted three schools about complaints concerning schools not complying with the statutory guidance on the cost of school uniforms.</p><p>The statutory guidance can be accessed at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-school-uniforms/cost-of-school-uniforms" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-school-uniforms/cost-of-school-uniforms</a>.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb grouped question UIN 196881 question first answered 11/09/2023 16:05:31 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4667 label Biography information for Mike Amesbury

1653465

registered interest
date	17/07/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Uniforms
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the provisions of the statutory guidance entitled Cost of school uniforms published in November 2021 are enforced.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Kemptown
tabling member printed	Lloyd Russell-Moyle
uin	194442
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/07/2023 answer text <p>The statutory guidance on the cost of school uniforms came into force in September 2022, so all schools should now be compliant. The only exception to this would be where this would breach a pre-existing supplier arrangement. The statutory guidance is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-school-uniforms/cost-of-school-uniforms" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-school-uniforms/cost-of-school-uniforms</a>.</p><p>If parents are concerned about the cost of their child’s school uniform, they should raise this with the school, including through the school’s published complaints process where necessary.</p><p>If a parent is unhappy with the outcome of their complaint, they can raise this with the Department. The Department will consider whether the uniform policy meets the requirements of the guidance. The Department can use its existing statutory and funding agreement levers to make sure schools follow the guidance.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 20/07/2023 10:31:53 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4615 label Biography information for Lloyd Russell-Moyle

1643790

registered interest
date	12/06/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Uniforms
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what financial assistance (a) her Department and (b) schools provide to families on low incomes to help support them with the cost of school (i) uniforms and (ii) sports kits.
tabling member constituency	Twickenham
tabling member printed	Munira Wilson
uin	189102
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/06/2023 answer text <p>Rather than subsiding expensive uniform policies with financial assistance, the Department published statutory guidance on the cost of school uniform to ensure uniform is affordable for all families. The guidance came into force in September 2022 and is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-school-uniforms/cost-of-school-uniforms" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-school-uniforms/cost-of-school-uniforms</a>.</p><p>Schools must have regard to this guidance when designing and implementing their uniform policy and PE and Sport kit. The guidance requires schools to ensure that their uniform is affordable and secures best value for money for parents.</p><p>There is no specific funding for schools to support low income families with the cost of uniform, but schools may offer additional support in cases of financial hardship where they choose to do so.</p><p>The Government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living which is why it is providing £94 billion to support households with high costs across the 2022/23 and 2023/24 financial years. This includes the Energy Price Guarantee, which is capping typical household bills at £2,500 until the end of June, as well as additional cost of living payments of up to £900 for eligible households on means tested benefits and funding to help with the cost of household essentials.</p><p>In addition, the Government has provided over £2.6 billion of pupil premium funding in the 2022/23 financial year to support pupils from lower income families. Rates will increase by 5% for 2023/24, taking total pupil premium funding to £2.9 billion.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 23/06/2023 13:41:03 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4776 label Biography information for Munira Wilson

1642992

registered interest
date	08/06/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Uniforms
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has had recent discussions with groups representing parents and guardians on schools requiring the purchase of uniforms directly from schools without the option of using retail providers.
tabling member constituency	Wansbeck
tabling member printed	Ian Lavery
uin	188537
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/06/2023 answer text <p>The Department engaged with key stakeholders, including representatives of parents and guardians, ahead of the statutory guidance on the cost of school uniforms being published in November 2021. In addition, in May 2022, the Department attended an online meeting with parents and schools organised by the Children’s Society.</p><p>The guidance came into force in September 2022 and is available at: <a href="http://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-school-uniforms" target="_blank">www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-school-uniforms</a>.</p><p>Schools must have regard to this guidance when they are developing and implementing their uniform policy. The guidance is clear that parents should be able to purchase generic items of uniform from a range of retailers, giving them choice and value for money.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 16/06/2023 11:39:35 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4139 label Biography information for Ian Lavery