School Uniform Costs

Is the cost of school uniforms causing financial hardship for Doncaster residents?

By James Woods — Operations Manager

Aims

Citizens Advice Doncaster Borough are working with Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council to research the costs involved in school uniforms. We are looking at the costs involved in sending children to school locally and provision for those on low incomes.

Our Research wants to find out how families locally feel about the costs of school uniforms at this time of year and how, if they are on a low income, they are affected. We also aim to use this data to put forward some recommendations to alleviate some of the stress caused to families.

Methodology

We surveyed 185 parents of school age children from August 2019 to January 2020, from all areas of the Doncaster Borough about the cost of school uniforms. This research was carried out by an online survey. This was completed by our advisers and local council team members of the public across the Doncaster borough. We also promoted the survey on our social media platforms, Twitter Facebook and instagram.

Discussion

Our research aims to highlight the problems families face in relation to school uniform costs. This is an issue we feel a lot of families are struggling with locally.

Nationally on average there has been a 2.8 % cost-of-living increase, the cost of living in Doncaster, is 100% higher than the national average.

Average wages in Doncaster are £24,000p.a. This is -£12,611pa lower than the national average of £36,611.

In the Doncaster Borough there are 90 schools with approximately 65,000 children aged between 6 -19. Our research suggests that 98.9% of these schools have a uniform of some description. And of this 88.8% of schools opt for branded items, such as logos on blazers, school ties and Polo shirts.

The average school uniform costs £340 per year per secondary school age children today — an increase of £24 (or 7%) from 2015.

One school in Doncaster charges families £11.50 for a School branded polo shirt in comparison with an unbranded on which can be purchased from a supermarket for as low as £3.50. In addition to this Blazers or Jackets which are often compulsory, at two Doncaster secondary schools cost from £31.99 to £37.99.

We are calling on the local authority to look at this issue in the hope of providing support for families suffering from financial hardship due to the costs of sending their children to school.

Our research highlights uniform costs is causing financial hardship for families across the borough. With 73.9% of our survey respondents stating they cannot afford to meet the cost of school uniforms or find it a significant financial burden each year.

Some respondents even stated they are getting into debt to be able to meet the school uniform requirements for their children. One respondent said “ I have to get a loan off the provident to pay for them and then spend all year paying it back.”

We feel schools should not be putting families under such financial pressure, they should be more aware of the wider impacts the cost of uniforms have on low income households. Doncaster residents should not be having to choose to cut back on food and heating or having to borrow money to cover these costs.

The high cost of uniforms can be put down in part to school policies that make parents buy clothing from specialist shops rather than giving them the choice of buying items at cheaper stores such as supermarkets or high-street chains.

Our research suggests that over half of our respondents 64.1% buy items directly from schools, or 30.6% purchased items from specific specialist shops. This outlines that overall 94.7% of parents in the Doncaster borough face having to buy a number of items from specialist items from schools or specific suppliers often at higher prices. We believe simple changes could be made to school policy to allow them to pick up similar items at cheaper stores and supermarkets which would not impact the smart dress codes schools want to project.

Our research shows that 61.3% of respondents would welcome and use a scheme where cheaper or pre worn items were made available, our respondents even suggested that should this type of scheme be available they would donate to such a scheme at the end of each school year.

The point raised by a significant number of the survey respondents was that the school branded items are significantly more expensive than supermarkets and that they feel it’s unfair the schools are looking to make money in such a way. We would suggest this goes against the Department of Education’s guidance to schools on uniforms which points out

“When considering how the school uniform should be sourced, governing bodies should give highest priority to the consideration of cost and value for money for parents.”

Conclusion and recommendations

In conclusion the vast majority of parents in our survey think that school uniform costs are too high, and in too many cases this is having a real impact on families’ finances and the ability to afford household essentials and to remain out of debt. We feel the costs in the area is something which needs to be looked at across the Doncaster borough.

Based on the research we have conducted we are making the following suggestions.

• We recommend that schools assess the use of logos and branding and the number of items which are required to have such logos.
• We recommend schools look at providing schemes where cheaper or pre- worn uniforms can be donated or purchased at affordable prices for families on low incomes.
• Schools could address the number of garments they require to have logos — they could have pin badges which can be transferred to different items of clothing rather than requiring items of clothing to have logos.
• Local Authorities could contact a wholesale school clothing factory / outlet and purchase a bulk amount of things required by families and distribute this at it’s own discretion.
• Schools could be asked to sign up to a Council led commitment to reduce costs to parents. This could be available to parents so they can compare costs for each school.

Local Campaigning

“I wholeheartedly support the important work being done by Citizens Advice Doncaster borough and the Council highlighting the high cost of school uniforms.”

“Families shouldn’t have to get into debt so that their kids can go to school.”

“There are things we can look at, both locally and nationally, to make things easier for families. Schools themselves can look at measures to make their uniforms more affordable but serious consideration should also be given to providing grants to pay for uniforms. These grants are already available in Wales and I have written to the Government to request that parents receive comparable support here.”

Ed Milliband MP

Labour MP for Doncaster North

n the News

• Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner has written to Education Secretary Gavin Williamson asking him to honour the pledge the Tories made four years ago to stop parents being forced to purchase items from specific suppliers.
• MP Mike Amesbury has introduced a bill which if approved would force the Government to follow the example of Wales, where school heads can specify basic items, such as trousers and shirts, but not styles — so parents can shop around.

Our findings

Feedback — (all direct quotes from respondents):

Do you have any comments or thoughts regarding uniforms and the costs.

• Although I wouldn’t want to buy a pre-worn uniform I do think the schools shouldn’t be able to stipulate wearing uniforms with logos. For instance one of my children attends High School and I have to purchase the uniform from the school and it would be much cheaper buying it from a High Street store.
• having 7 children, uniforms are a major cost in our household
• Uniforms should be subsidised or even free when there are no alternatives (cheaper) most schools are now academy’s and everything has to have their badge on which becomes very expensive.
• School uniforms are out of touch with how society is and pupils shouldn’t have to wear one, especially as some schools are extremely strict and often put pupils in isolation for forgetting their tie or badge
• lots of schools throw away old uniforms that have been left at school at the end of the school year that can be reused, the schools charge a lot for their logo items such as pr shorts, polo tops, jumper/cardys are twice and three times the price you can buy them at asda etc. secondary schools are now mainly academies and the children have to wear a blazer which can only be purchased from school and cost around £30, if a family has more than one child the cost can get ridiculous on top of that you can only order uniform from school before summer holidays when they will need more money to entertain the kids and pay for child care etc.
• Iron on badges should be available at a low cost so that cheaper tops can be bought from other shops
• I struggle to afford it every year, I dread this time of year
• we need a place to get free school uniforms if your on benefits or low income
• Its ridiculous the cost of school uniform its a complete rip off
• some where to buy pre-worn good quality uniforms would be a great help
• Great idea to have an outlet for pre-worn uniforms
• To expensive due to monopoly of schools and suppliers no way does it cost this much to produce a school uniform
• its a terrible time of year for me , hate it
• I have to get a loan off the provident to pay for them and then spend all year paying it back
• My daughter is very fussy and wants good quality products. Plus to be honest once I bought everything it did last her the full year so I don’t mind buying good quality clothing.
• as friends we do pass on between us, think schools should encourage and promote this
• It makes choosing clothes in the morning easier and the bits from asda are so cheaper it’s cheaper than ordinary clothes.
• School uniforms bought direct from school cost far more. eg £11 for the cardigan direct from school compared to the same cardigan from asda but without logo 2 for£6
• not really — but would love some where I could donate school uniform to — I’m lucky and can afford to buy it so I buy new every year and there is hardly anything wrong with her old uniform — at the moment I donate it to a charity shop
• Uniforms should be free as it’s too expensive to buy.
• It would make it more affordable for parents to be able to by generic items from supermarkets and then just sew badges on to the items which need them
• Academy schools are using uniform buying to make money and parents are held hostage to them. One branded Polo shirt for my son costs £12.00 from the school but a pack of two unbranded ones from the supermarket cost £3.50. To buy 5 polo shirts so he can have a clean one every day would be £60.00, and considering how often uniform goes missing during PE lessons, it’s too much.
• very expensive
• No need for uniforms as long as children are neat and tidy. A dress code allowing clothes to be bought more cheaply would be beneficial. Primary school could have school tabards for young children out on trips, provided by the school. PE kits having logos and needing to be bought from certain shops is ridiculous. They are worn for two hours per week and cost well over £60.00 per child, any red top and black shorts/ black overtop would surely do and at a fraction of the cost.
• It should be law you can wear unbranded uniforms as long as they are the same style and colour to reduce costs on families.
• Can buy plain clothes rather than more expensive logo ones so doesn’t have to be too expensive but children like to match/not stand out from their friends. I would not be interested in second hand clothes but making uniform cheaper would be good, maybe taking away the logo option so all children were wearing the same?
• its a disgrace that parents are forced to line the pockets of the school by buying uniform at a massively inflated cost. £1.50 for a polo shirt at Asda, same polo shirt at the school shop £10.99
• My son has complex needs and un able to walk . He shuffles around on the floor .. so school trousers especially get worn out very quickly
• I have answered this survey personally but also work with vulnerable families in Doncaster and they ALL find uniforms a struggle and would access any scheme that supported cheaper uniform.
• Some councils advertise a £200 grant per child to help with school uniforms. Why doesn’t Doncaster Council offer this?
• why have a uniform if parents struggle to buy it stops food being on the table
• For some families this is a stressful time of the year to be able to afford school uniform. I currently work with families that receive only 37.30 per week pp and this to them is a struggle
• Black trainers should be allowed instead of shoes
• Its far too expensive when you have more than one child
• i find it very difficult to supply all the school branded clothing as well as shoes and trainers and PE kit. Also my children cannot join after school sports clubs as I cannot afford to provide them with equipment they require from my budget.
• There should be a scheme or meals of helping families who cannot afford to pay for the required uniforms
• My children have to wear pass downs from each other or I buy ones that are too big so they last longer but this leads to issues for the child not fitting in or not wanting to wear the clothing
• I’m lucky don’t find it a burden, my friends however have great difficulties during the 6 week holiday period. Some even feeding the kids is problem enough without the extra problem of buying uniform. You should be able to buy a couple of badges that can be taken off clothes when they are grown out of/ruined.
• There should be a lot more help in regard to getting help with school uniforms, when your a low income family, as getting branded school logo on is not cheap.
• I have 2 children at high school and find it hard to pay for them
• Blazer cost me £28 just for one ,buying several would add up a lot
• Yes but would need to be in good condition obviously
• Schools should not be making children wear logo uniform as its not affordable
• Should be ways in helping as children can be cruel if they haven’t got it
• too expensive especially when I have 4 children
• “Schools policy makes it difficult to buy cheaper items of uniform. they also have a very strict policy regarding the shoes children must wear in high school.
• the uniform could be improved by having adjustable waists so parents can buy bigger and make these last. High school have a PE uniform and my child has been told that she is unable to wear a hooded jacket in winter, which means more expense”
• Uniform costs for high school are fairly high and the cost tends to come all at once. We have to buy clothes for children anyway and if there was no uniform at school the cost would probably work out the same. I think the issue for low income families or large families is that the cost comes all at once and at the end of the costly summer holidays.
• Schools should omit the required logos on trousers etc.
• Single mum should be more help
• Uniform is a good idea but should be more flexible to enable people to buy cheaper
• My child doesn’t have to wear uniform as they are home educated. Uniform costs at mainstream schools are just one “ cost factor” for parents. No provision is made financially for parents who choose to home educate but the survey takes no account and provides no option for home educators. It is not a true representation of the whole picture. Surely it should be an “ educational clothing costs survey” which includes those in and out of mainstream education, not a presumptive” school uniform costs survey”. Kids outside mainstream school don’t study naked in my experience. Many of them are outside the mainstream due to complex issues including sensory issues. This might mean wearing “ comfy “ clothes they don’t feel constricted by. There’s no allowance for that.
• I think it’s a good idea to wear uniform so everyone wear pretty much the same but I don’t see what difference it make if they have a logo or not
• It is way too expensive i have to budget £200 just for school uniforms
• Scrap school uniforms, children should be able to express individuality and we spend enough on clothes throughout the year without the additional costs
• School uniform should be free or cheap if schools want uniform I also have one child in xp where no uniform required and it’s better
• Try making uniform more available. I made 4 attempts to buy uniform online before I successfully bought some.
• Shouldn’t have to have labelled uniform as long as the children are in the same colour that should be enough. Get rid of the academy’s they’re a joke!!
• “Schools should not be allowed to make a profit from uniforms!
• Only jumpers/ties should be branded. Other than that schools should not be able to dictate where uniforms are bought. “
• having limited number of items requiring logo or have pin badges that can be used on multiple items of clothing.
• its very expensive especially when you are on a low income.
• I can see how families on low incomes would find this a financial burden as its not just the clothing items with logos its shoes and stationary which all adds up in cost.
• being on a low income I dread the start of the school year. I have to take out loans in order to cloth all my children
• but I would like to see sew on badges or pin badges which could be worn so I am able to buy cheaper more affordable items.
• Although I don’t have a problem affording school clothes I can see this would be a problem for lower income families, the uniform demands especially of academies are high.
• I need help with the cost of this throughout the year
• School uniform policy in some schools are too strict. Items like socks should not be in school uniform policy especially in primary school. It’s an added financial burden and completely unnecessary in my opinion especially when sanctions are given out for not having the correct socks.
• As long as school items are the same colour, I don’t think we should have to buy specific items
• Uniforms are a good idea and until you have to buy the logo ones it’s not too bad. But buying three uniforms adds up especially when you are having to buy outfits in addition for school fundraising every two weeks.
• The costs seem to go up every year!
• The school makes demands and doesn’t care about the costs to parents.
• My school has made demands over things such as swimming trunks, they have to be a certain style and colour or my son cannot participate in the lesson as a single parent I struggle with the costs of clothing my son for school as a young boy he holes his trousers on a regular basis, and they can only be repaid so many times, this along with the cost of branded clothing and now demands on PE kit I don’t know how the school expects parents to afford this, I have expressed this to the head but they don’t seem to care.
• I can see how this would effect some parents as it can be expensive.
• as we can buy school clothing from anywhere this means I am able to shop around to get the best and cheapest clothing.
• Any help available with the cost of this would be helpful I dread August and kitting my children out for the new school year
• TOO DEAR! CAN NOT AFFORD!
• School should either help parents or allow them to purchase from cheaper shops
• Its a Joke Tesco charges around £1.50 for a polo shirt and the school charges almost £12 they are making money off the backs of parents.
• I would worry if my child was obviously wearing pre-worn uniform they could be bullied — why can schools not think of ways to help parents with school cost so this doesn’t happen
• my kids would stand out in cheap uniforms and get bullied
• It can be expensive and it seems schools provide less and less each year in terms of equipment, yet the demands on parents regarding equipment and uniforms get more and more.
• Uniforms should be less expensive to buy. If you have more that one child needing uniforms. its a finical burden
• I purchase the minimum I can as its far too expensive!
• i am on a low income and i cannot afford to buy my son his uniform. I had to take out a loan to buy it
• Uniforms are to expensive and you have to buy them from the school
• it causes me financial hardship having to buy school uniforms
• School uniforms are to expensive and you have to buy them from the school with the logo on
• I had to borrow money off my mum to buy the school uniforms
• I am a one parent family on a low income. I had to take out a loan to buy the school uniforms
• Designer money for a school badge on a low quality blazer
• I don’t want my kids going to school in someone's cast offs. they would get bullied
• They would get bullied wearing pre-worn clothes. i want my kids to fit in and not stand out from anyone else
• Schools must be making a fortune charging these prices and you have to buy the uniform from the school
• Why are they so expensive, other shops would be cheaper
• My daughter got bullied for the wrong brand of shoe. Anyone wearing a per-worn uniform would get bullied
• I had to take out a loan to buy 3 school uniforms
• If I did not have family to help me. I would have had to borrow money from a loan shark. to buy my children’s uniforms
• I know lots of parents at the school who are working. we are struggling to buy the uniforms. they are just to expensive
• I am disabled and I cannot work. I struggle to buy my children’s school uniforms. But i would not want them wearing pre-worn school uniforms. My children would get bullied
• I can afford to buy the school uniform. However, I have friends who cannot afford to buy them. I gave my sister the money to buy her sons school uniform. My sister is working. But struggles to make ends meet. There are lots of people and families who are working. but cannot afford to live. The school uniforms are just to expensive. They are a total rip off.
• They are just to expensive
• I had to borrow the money to buy my kids school uniform. The interest i am having to pay on my loan is extortionate
• Uniforms should be affordable
• I cannot afford to buy the school uniform and you can only buy the uniform from the school
• I was waiting for my first Universal Credit payment and I did not have the money to buy the uniform. I did not have any money to buy food. I had to use our local food bank. I got an advanced payment of Universal Credit. To buy the school uniform. Now I am in debt and I am going to have to get debt advice. school uniforms are just to expensive
• Schools rip you off
• I really struggle to afford to buy them
• I am on a low income. I cannot afford to buy school uniform. I had to borrow money off a friend to buy my children’s school uniforms
• The school is not bothered about teaching anymore or bullying in school. All the school is bothered about. Is your child in the correct uniform
• Why do schools charge so much for their uniforms. The school must buy the uniforms in bulk. But they don’t pass the savings on to the parents. The school is just making money off parents that cannot afford to buy their uniform. You have no choice you have to buy it off the school
• Expensive and very very low quality uniforms (Rip Off) the uniforms are worse quality than Matalan
• To expensive this needs sorting out
• I just cannot afford to buy them
• Why do they cost a lot of money ? You can only buy the uniform from the school
• The school knows you have to buy the uniform from them. The school charge what they want. This is just wrong
• The costs are just ridiculous, especially when you are on a low income
• Me and my partner split up. At that time I did not have any money, to live on. I had a baby to look after. My ex-partner did not give me any money to support our children, I had to claim benefits. I Also, had to find somewhere to live. I had. know money to buy school uniforms. There was a lot more important things to buy. Than school uniforms Such as, food, nappies etc. Also, I moved out of the area and my children stared a new schools. I had to buy more new school uniforms which i could not afford
• Costs of school uniforms are just wrong
• I had to borrow money to buy them.
• I have to keep buying ties at £5 a tie. Reason being, kids steal each others ties. Hence, if your child does have a tie. Then you have to buy your child another tie. I have had to buy two new blazer. Reason being, one was stolen and another one fell to bits. the blazer was very poor quality clothing. Uniforms are just to expensive
• Why do we have to pay these stupid prices from the school. £35 for a blazer, £5 for a tie, PE tops £5. I have 3 children to buy uniforms for. Then there is the correct shoes, trousers, shirts, socks etc. you have to buy. Very expensive
• I bought all the correct school uniform for my son.Then my sons blazer got ripped. It could not be repaired. I could not afford to buy another blazer. The school was not understanding
• I worry about my child getting bullied for wearing 2nd hand clothing so I go without to provide them with new each term