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1737613

registered interest
date	28/10/2024
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, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the cost of (a) badges and (b) piping for school uniforms on household expenditure.
tabling member constituency	Warrington South
tabling member printed	Sarah Hall
uin	11465
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/11/2024 answer text <p>The department has not assessed the impact of the cost of specific designs for school uniforms on household expenditure. However, the department recently published its latest research on the cost of school uniforms, which is available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-school-uniforms-survey-2023" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-school-uniforms-survey-2023</a>.</p><p>This research surveyed parents and carers of children aged 4 to 16 attending state-funded schools in England and found that average uniform expenditure decreased as the range of outlets from which parents/carers were allowed to purchase items increased. The average spend on items was significantly lower where all could be purchased from anywhere (£227.29), than where all had to be purchased from a designated shop or from a school (£283.90).</p><p>That is why as part of the King’s Speech, the department has committed to legislate to limit the number of expensive branded items of uniform and PE kit that schools can require.</p> answering member constituency Newcastle upon Tyne North answering member printed Catherine McKinnell question first answered 05/11/2024 12:35:47 answering member 4125 label Biography information for Catherine McKinnell
tabling member	5154

1735933

registered interest
date	21/10/2024
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, what assessment she has made of trends in the levels of cost of school uniforms for (a) primary and (b) high school children.
tabling member constituency	Southampton Test
tabling member printed	Satvir Kaur
uin	10365
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/10/2024 answer text <p>The department recently published its latest research on the cost of school uniforms, surveying parents and carers of children aged 4 to 16 attending state-funded schools in England. The research report assessed the relative changes to the cost of school uniforms since the department’s previous report in 2015. It is published at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-school-uniforms-survey-2023" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-school-uniforms-survey-2023</a>.​</p><p>The research found that the average total expenditure on school uniform, based on the items required in the 2023/24 academic year, was £249.58 compared with £279.51 for a similar period and adjusted for inflation in 2014/15. It was less expensive for parents or carers of children in primary schools (£217.65 for boys and £246.80 for girls) than for those with children in secondary schools (£266.14 for boys and £289.04 for girls).</p><p>Too many families still tell the department that the cost of school uniform remains a financial burden. That is why as part of the King’s Speech we have committed to legislate to limit the number of expensive branded items of uniform and PE kit that schools can require.</p> answering member constituency Newcastle upon Tyne North answering member printed Catherine McKinnell question first answered 25/10/2024 11:30:43 answering member 4125 label Biography information for Catherine McKinnell
tabling member	5271

1735085

registered interest
date	17/10/2024
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, if she will commission a review into the potential impact of school uniform pricing on the average price of school uniforms.
tabling member constituency	Warrington South
tabling member printed	Sarah Hall
uin	9842
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/10/2024 answer text <p>The department keeps the price of school uniforms under regular review and recently published its latest research on the cost of school uniforms, which is available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-school-uniforms-survey-2023" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-school-uniforms-survey-2023</a>.</p><p>The department also already publishes statutory guidance on the costs of school uniform.</p><p>However, too many families still tell the department that the cost of school uniform remains a financial burden. That is why, as part of the Kings Speech, the department has committed to legislate to limit the number of expensive branded items of uniform and PE kit that schools can require.</p> answering member constituency Newcastle upon Tyne North answering member printed Catherine McKinnell question first answered 24/10/2024 10:09:51 answering member 4125 label Biography information for Catherine McKinnell
tabling member	5154

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

1675657

registered interest
date	05/12/2023
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Schools: Uniforms
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of removing VAT on all school uniform items.
tabling member constituency	Bermondsey and Old Southwark
tabling member printed	Neil Coyle
uin	5385
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/12/2023 answer text <p>Under the current VAT rules, all children’s clothing and footwear designed for young children who are less than 14 years of age, including school uniforms, attract a zero-rate of VAT, meaning that no VAT is charged on the sale of these items. Additionally, certain school uniform items may also benefit from a zero rate of VAT irrespective of size. For instance, garments which bear a prominent logo, crest or badge identifying them as part of the official uniform of schools catering exclusively for children under 14 years of age can be zero-rated.</p><p> </p><p>Going further would impose additional pressure on the public finances, to which VAT makes a significant contribution. Whilst we have no current plans to extend the existing zero rate, we nevertheless keep all taxes under review.</p> answering member constituency Mid Worcestershire answering member printed Nigel Huddleston question first answered 13/12/2023 11:35:54 answering member 4407 label Biography information for Nigel Huddleston
tabling member	4368 label Biography information for Neil Coyle

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