Low-income parents with children entering secondary school will receive £100 towards school uniform costs this year, but how will ‘the squeezed middle’ cope ahead of the next academic year?
Local authorities are advised, but not required, to provide a uniform grant to low-income families with children moving to secondary school. Southwark Council’s £100 grant is certainly welcomed.
There is widespread recognition that families need this sort of help. Parents on Facebook groups have been banding together, selling old blazers at a fraction of the price or giving them away for free.
Meanwhile, Southwark’s trailblazing universal free school meals scheme is now being funded by the Mayor of London. This has allowed the council to extend means-tested free school meals to secondary school pupils.
Council to set up free schools meals scheme for secondary school pupils
However, The Children’s Society estimates that parents spend an average of £422 a year on secondary school uniforms. That’s a significant amount for many families, not just the poorest.
This is not to say that those on low incomes shouldn’t get priority support, but there needs to be recognition from the government that the cost-of-living crisis is so severe that parents once considered comfortable will be fretting at the uniform store counters.
Take Karen Garrett, for example, who is featured in our article. The Walworth mum said that while she waits for her funds to be reassessed, she is unable to get any grant to help with the cost. She says her son is autistic, meaning his clothes get dirtier faster than others.
The government has taken some very limited steps to alleviate the pressure on all families. Last year, it amended the Education Act. The amendment requires schools to keep costs down by taking steps to remove unnecessary branded items and allowing more high-street options.
But due to rising prices, it’s not clear whether unbranded supermarket school clothes are even as affordable anymore.
The age-old question of whether uniforms should be compulsory often rears its head in times like these. While some will argue that making uniforms optional would save families money, the consumerist pressure on kids to wear certain brands and styles might actually put a bigger hole in parents’ pockets.
The current climate means there are increasing numbers of families falling through the gaps. The government should therefore consider working with local authorities to expand financial support to more families.