‘School uniform price cap only way to protect all struggling families’

Naomi McBurney of the Parent Engagement Group (PEG) said new legislation is needed as many schools continue to insist that pupils wear expensive, branded uniform items and sports kit.

Research carried out by PEG found that the average cost of a primary school uniform in Northern Ireland was £173, rising to £378 to kit out each post-primary pupil, while research commissioned by the Irish League of Credit Unions in 2020 found one-third of parents get into debt each year when buying school uniforms.

Ms McBurney said: “The political will has definitely shifted, and we obviously saw that with manifesto commitments coming into the election in 2022 and then, as recently as two weeks ago, the education minister did make a commitment to putting the current guidance on a statutory footing, and her legal team is looking at the possibility of a [school uniform] price cap in that.

“We also had a commitment a couple of months ago from Nick Mathison of the Alliance Party, who intents to bring forward a [Stormont] private member’s bill, which we will be working on helping to shape that legislation.”

Ms McBurney added: “On the ground, a lot of charities have stepped up and they have set up a number of free second-hand uniform banks you could call them.

“So it seems to be more of a charitable response we are seeing. I feel that schools do need to work closely with the Department of Education, and parents and young people, to really address the core issues, which are that branded items and the excessive costs is not necessary.”