Govt's. A better deal: boosting competition to bring down bills for families and firms - Page 11 item 2.5 Tackling the cost of school uniforms... The government wants to ensure that families get the best value for school uniforms. A 2015 Department for Education survey found that nearly one-fifth of parents and carers reported that they had suffered financial hardship as a result of purchasing their child’s school uniform. The survey found that parents and carers are significantly less likely to report that they have experienced hardship if schools allow them to purchase uniforms from a variety of suppliers. The government wants to ensure that effective competition is used to drive better value for money and will therefore put existing best practice guidance for school uniform supply in England on a statutory footing. This will ensure that schools deliver the best value for parents by avoiding exclusivity arrangements unless regular competitions for suppliers are run. I would like to thank the Chief Executive of the CMA, Mr Alex Chisholm for keeping me informed and for pushing this matter into the Govt's path.