New Forest parents campaigning to make school uniforms affordable

More than two thirds of New Forest parents are forced to make cutbacks just to be able to afford expensive school uniforms, according to a local campaign group.

A surprising 68% of parents in the New Forest are cutting back on food, bills and family days out just to be able to afford the demanding school uniform requirements, according to a survey of more than 225 New Forest parents.

Worryingly,  half (50.9%) of surveyed parents are going into debt or taking out loans just to be able to kit their kids out for the school year. Some parents even reported having to use the food bank to make ends meet after purchasing expensive uniform.

The survey carried out by the New Forest Uniform Campaign revealed that the majority of parents surveyed across the New Forest believe that school uniforms are unaffordable – 36% of parents ‘strongly disagreed’ that their school’s uniform was affordable, with another 33.8% disagreeing.

Jade, whose children go to a New Forest school, shared her frustrations: “I have to send my children into school in uniform that they’ve clearly outgrown because it’s such a struggle to be able to afford all of it. If (the school) made it so that we could buy more plain items from cheaper shops, that would really save me a small fortune. Instead, the children are having to miss out on clubs, activities and family days out.”

Fellow New Forest parent Lauren expressed similar concerns: “I am on disability benefits so I am on a low income already but school uniform is a massive hit to my finances. It would save a lot of money to just have one piece of uniform with a logo, like the jumper, and not the polo shirt as well. I’m really worried about affording the uniform when they go up to secondary school.”

Greg’s children attend a New Forest school. He said: “Virtually every item has to be bought from the school shop, even the trousers and PE socks, which makes things needlessly expensive. The only thing you can get from a supermarket are white shirts and PE shorts. There’s never been any consultation with parents on any of this.”

“They even changed the badge on the blazer recently, so you’re just going to stand out if you can only afford the older blazer. The whole idea of uniform was to make everyone look the same but now the opposite is true.”’

In the New Forest, various schools have particularly demanding uniform requirements, such as £45 tartan skirts, mandatory PE socks emblazoned with the school’s name, trousers that can only be bought from the school shop, and frequently-changing school badges that render old uniform defunct.

The New Forest Uniform Campaign is calling on schools to make school uniform more affordable by reducing the amount of branded, logoed or bespoke items and increasing the range of items that can be bought from low-cost retailers.

The Child Poverty Action Group revealed last year that the yearly cost of school uniform and shoes is at least £336 for a primary school child, rising to £462 for a secondary school child. Analysis by the Observer also shows that branded school uniforms cost more than double than unbranded items from high-street retailers.

At a national level, the new government has already indicated that it will take measures to curb the number of branded items that a school can require in its uniform and PE kit.

The New Forest Uniform Campaign is now going to present the findings of the questionnaire and stories collected to schools. Tom Wardle, New Forest Partnership Campaigns Manager, who helped to set up the group, said: “We really want to work with New Forest schools and show them that reducing the amount of branded and logoed items is such a simple change but one that could easily put hundreds of pounds back in the pockets of families struggling with the cost of living.”

The New Forest Uniform Campaign is asking parents and carers to continue sharing  their views and experiences through the questionnaire, so that the findings can be presented to schools: rb.gy/ssauyu

Sharon Oakley runs Step Up Safe Space, a school uniform exchange programme, and criticised the policy of schools changing their logos frequently: “We have had many parents struggling to afford to afford correct uniform over the years, with ‘logos’ changing it just makes it harder. Parents feel under pressure to make sure their child doesn’t stand out even though the schools have said they can continue with old logos.”

Food banks are also urging schools to re-consider their uniform policies.

Chris Lee, Chair of Trustees at Ringwood Foodbank, said: “Parents who use our foodbank regularly mention, particularly at this time of year, the impact of having to purchase school uniforms on their family budgets. The impact is much greater where they have a number of children. We would encourage all those in a position to do so to reduce the cost of school uniforms.”