Teesside uniform bank calls for changes as kids go back to school
From today in England compulsory branded school uniforms and PE items are capped
A Teesside uniform bank's telling what they wants to see change to help families who are struggling.
It's as children head back to school this week after the summer holidays.
From today in England, compulsory branded school uniforms and PE items are capped at a maximum of three or four for primaries and secondaries.
Natalie Frankland, founder of ReLoved Clothing in Hartlepool, said: "You can pick a blazer up in a supermarket for the cost of anywhere between £5 and £10. Do we really need to have these blazers with the embroidered logo on that potentially once you buy in the August, the child has outgrown it by the following June, if not before.
"You start breaking down the itemised lists of what you're expected to have, it becomes extremely costly for parents. Some of our parents might have multiple children, 3, 4, 5, 6. If they're all in secondary school, that cost is astronomical. You could be looking up to £800 to £1,000 a year just for one set of uniform.
"When we speak to parents, we find that there is a differentiation between primary and secondary and it all comes down to the branded items. I would hate for uniforms to be scrapped and outed. I think that uniforms are needed. They give that sense of community, that sense of pride in the school, a sense of belonging and I find that is particularly important.
"In an ideal world, if all the children just had a plain black blazer, black trousers or skirts and an identifiable tie which the school provides, that would dramatically reduce the cost. You're not paying £50 for a blazer, you're paying £10 pound and the tie's given to you, you're not having these huge astronomical costs.
"We need to look at it from a policy level to actually support parents. We did see when we spoke to people that removing the two child's cap on benefits, it's still not enough. We need to look actually how do we keep uniform, how do we challenge the system and how can we still provide the best for these children going into education without stigmatising them."