New school uniform rules won't cut costs, says mum

A mum who set up a school uniform exchange to help people struggling with the cost of schoolwear has said she is not convinced a new law, aimed at saving money spent on uniform, will prove effective.

From September, schools in England will be limited to three branded items of uniform - such as a blazer, jumper or sportswear - plus a tie, which the government hopes will reduce costs.

Michaela Wilson launched the Pendle In And Out Of School Clothes Project in Colne, Lancashire four years ago, after she realised just the purchase of her son's PE kit would cost £128.

She calls the new law "just a rough move to placate people", and has "no idea why schools don't just sell iron-on branded badges".

"Schools could just say, 'you need a black jogging suit for PE' - and parents could buy a badge, iron it on, and there you go," she told BBC Radio Lancashire on Monday.

She said: "Children don't want to pick one, or three items, for their school uniform - they want everything the same as their friends.

"They're going to want all of it matching. So when they go to school, it's not going to be just the three branded things, you're going to have to fork out for the full items.

"They want the full rugby kit if they're playing rugby, they need the football boots, they need the branded football socks if they're playing in the team - and it all adds up.

"They [pupils] just want to be the same as everybody else. They don't want to stand out and run around in a pair of Asda shorts if everybody else has got the school emblem ones."

Michaela founded the community uniform and children's clothing bank at Colne Market four years ago.

Families can visit, browse and take away items they need completely free of charge, without having to formally apply.

"It was just going to be a temporary thing over the summer, and four years later we're still at it," she said.

"At the end of term I get loads and loads of bags.

"We've got a small space that we've been given by the local council, and we just hang it all up, nice and neat and tidy, and people are welcome to come and fill a bag with whatever they want. It's all free."

She said it is a "massive way of recycling", describing how families "come down with one size, hang it up and take the next size along".

"All that school uniform would end up in landfill otherwise," she said.

She added that the stigma of using second-hand uniform is "definitely" lessening

"Teenagers, even more than adults, have embraced the whole second-hand culture," she said.

"We get teenagers coming and getting their own uniform."

According to the Department for Education (DfE), the average total expenditure on school uniform, based on the items required in the school year 2023/24, was just under £250 - with PE kit cost approximately £140.

A DfE spokesperson said some families would save "up to £50 per child" when the new law comes into effect at the start of the new school year, adding the government is supporting schools to take further steps to bring down the cost of individual items.

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