NUT: Cost of school uniforms can be prohibitive to school choice
Commenting on the Office of Fair Trading’s request that schools lift the restrictions on where uniforms can be bought by parents, Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, the largest teachers’ union, said:
“The price of school uniforms is a very important issue. Where schools use only one supplier, the cost is very often prohibitive to families on low or even average incomes. This is a barrier to being able to apply for schools where the uniform is expensive and is in effect another form of selection.
“Children and young people grow out of their uniforms at a rapid rate. The issue of long lasting quality is far outweighed by the amount of times a new uniform has to be bought.
“If we are to try and address issues of poverty and the barrier it provides to education, then the cost of school uniforms alongside the cost of shoes, trips and school meals, must be kept down.”
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For further information contact Caroline Cowie on 0207 380 4705 or 07879480061
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