Well today I got a call from the Department for Education in response to my various communications to them, they felt it would be better to have a conversation rather than send another stock reply. It was just another minion, a very nice minion though, (sorry folks I did not get his name as I was in A&E at the time with my hubby so a little distracted). After discussing the uniform situation for a bit the end result was that the DofE feels uniform decisions are a local decision & should remain so! Not helpful, I pointed out that it being a local decision is the reason it is not working, as schools practically next door to each other can have a completely different uniform cost & that was unfair to parents. It was a long conversation ending with me being told that unless I could get a good sized petition or a larger organisation to step up on this subject (clearly the CMA letter was not enough) then this matter would not get the attention of Nick Gibb or Nicky Morgan!! This is why we so badly need the 100,000 signatures. I will be going back to the CMA and the Children's Society to see if I can get them to go further with their actions such as them writing to the relevant MP's, but in all honesty without the signatures I do not see the DofE acting in parents favour and amending the Govt Guidelines on School uniforms! So please all try to get as many people as you know over 18 & living in the UK to sign or this is a dead cause on a national level!