Welcome for bid to cut cost of school uniform
Responding to the news that the Competition and Markets Authority is urging head teachers, governing bodies and suppliers to let parents buy uniforms at the best possible prices, Chris Keates, General Secretary of the NASUWT, the largest teachers’ union said:
“The NASUWT has been campaigning for much more clear, coherent and robust guidance about the charges schools levy on parents, including school uniforms.
“The NASUWT is pleased that its campaign to highlight the cost of education is having a positive impact and welcomes this announcement by the CMA if it leads to more schools enabling parents to buy uniforms at affordable prices.
“Exclusivity deals, which force parents to purchase much of their child’s uniform at inflated prices from one supplier are adding to the increasing financial burdens they face.
“NASUWT research shows that parents are increasingly finding that the cost of school uniform is a huge financial burden
“The NASUWT’s annual survey of parents each year on the Cost of Education, including uniform, shows two thirds of parents had to purchase their child’s uniform from a particular supplier.
“At a time when there are over 3.7 million children in the UK living in poverty as a result of the Government’s fiscal and social policies, parents should not be facing an additional tax on their children’s learning.”
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