SDLP MP Claire Hanna is calling on Education Minister Michelle McIlveen to bring forward legislation to protect households from spiralling school uniform costs.
The South Belfast MP is calling on the Minister to take action to lower the cost of school uniforms and ensure they are affordable and accessible to families of all backgrounds. While existing guidance advises that schools should ensure that their school uniform policy is ‘fair and reasonable, in practical and financial terms’, this is not presently underpinned by legislation and there is no statutory obligation to keep costs low.
"The rising cost of school uniforms can be a real burden on families year on year, many of whom will no doubt be feeling the added pressure of Covid on already overstretched budgets." she said.
"A revamp of current policy is overdue and I would be in support of giving statutory powers to underpin guidance issued to schools that means there is a responsibility to ensure uniforms are affordable. Similar schemes have recently been adopted in England and Wales so we are presently lagging behind other jurisdictions.
"It’s insult to injury that, for families who are eligible, the available uniform grants in Northern Ireland are so low. In Scotland, for example, entitlement is in the range of £120 to £150 while parents here can apply for £35 or £73 for primary and secondary school kids respectively.
"When you consider the cost of shoes, blazers, skirts, trousers, shirts – not to mention the additional expenditure on sporting kits and equipment – that really doesn’t go far. I have written to the Minister to urge that she takes steps to introduce legislation here that aims to reduce the cost of uniform.
"Right now, the expense of uniforms is a genuine worry for many families with some even plunged into debt to cover the costs. The Minister needs to listen those parents, schools, representatives and children’s organisations – including the Northern Ireland Children’s Commissioner – calling for a common-sense approach to uniform policy, that is cognisant of the needs of families from all backgrounds."
