The UK government recently passed a bill which aims to make school uniform affordable to all - statutory guidance is scheduled to be published in the Autumn of 2021. We welcome this cross party legislation.

Redditch Labour Party have held a school uniform recycling event for 9 years. The same issues are raised every year. Ahead of this guidance we are calling on school leaders to tackle these community issues by considering the needs of their individual schools for items of uniform bearing a school logo.

We appreciate the value of a school uniform in order to promote the ethos of the school, and to create a community where everyone belongs. Uniform should be practical and affordable, promoting longevity of wear and easy to re-use. 

To this end we ask school leaders to reduce their branded items to a minimum - for example a pair of PE shorts with a logo costs around £12, but a plain black pair can be purchased for less than £5. A full uniform can easily cost in excess of £100  - a sum which can push hardworking families into poverty. 

Schools must also avoid changing the design of their uniform, so that items can be re-used for subsequent children rather than becoming defunct. Colour requirements should be easy to source at a wide variety of retailers. Demands for a specific colour narrows the choice for parents, and demands for a specific colour for a year group or house system makes it more difficult for parents to pass used items on.

These simple changes will make a school uniform affordable, practical and sustainable. Schools must put financial equality as their top priority in this matter.