We are on our own with regards to this petition, yet another group who could help but won't (see further down)...the reason why the Govt and Schools are getting away with this is because people all fighting for the same outcome will NOT come together, as long as it's just small independent pockets of us trying to make a change instead of one mass we will get nowhere and that is what both Schools & Govt rely on, us not banding together for change! We wrote to the Chidlren's Society asking for help with our campaign this is the first reply - Dear Amanda, Thank you for your email regarding school uniforms yesterday. As you know, the cost of school uniforms is something that we have been working on for the past year, and continue to do so. Following the election, we wrote to Nick Gibb outlining our concerns and recommendations, and subsequently met with officials from the DfE to discuss. These discussions continue and we plan to meet again in the new year to further develop our positions. One recommendation that we made in our The Wrong Blazer report was that the guidance should be strengthened, made statutory and re-issued to schools, which we continue to take forward. We also spoke with the CMA in advance of their press release on the lack of competition in the school uniform market, and provided supporting evidence and fed into their press release. We are also part of a working group with Which?, The Schoolwear Association, The PTA, and others, all of whom have an interest in this work and are looking for a solution to the issue of high uniform costs. We have also spoken with the National Association of Headteachers who have issued our briefing on the issue, outlining its impact on children and families, to their members. We will continue to keep working with all the different levels of decision makers on this issue, and look to achieve a fairer and more equitable situation for children and families. I hope that this is useful for you. Best, David Ayre Policy Officer, Child Poverty and Inequality The Children’s Society We wrote back - Hi David, Thank you so much for your reply and I am glad I am not the only one with these views, but can your organisation help to get the 100,000 signatures that could hold more weight? I cannot get any press traction, without that I cannot get the petition out there enough, I have no media experience, if this petition could get off the ground then I feel the Govt might speed up the process of forcing Schools/Academies to comply instead of letting them carry on as they have been. It needs to be discussed in parliament as the past year you guys have spent working in the DofE may not be enough, I am taken aback at how complacent the Govt is over this issue. Please let me know if your organisation can help this petition? Regards Amanda - this is their additional reply - Dear Amanda, I’m afraid we won’t be able to highlight your petition. We receive a large number of such requests, and it would be unfair if we accepted some requests and not others. Please rest assured that we will continue to take this issue forward with parliamentarians and decision makes from other agencies. I am sorry we are unable to assist you any more at this time. Best, David