School uniform logos ‘unnecessary and unfair,’ says Joyce

School uniform logos could be scrapped or replaced with free iron-on badges in Wales, the Welsh Government has confirmed.

At the Senedd on Wednesday (21 Sept), in response to a question by Labour’s Joyce Watson, education minister Jeremy Miles said he will look at how the benefits of uniforms can be kept without the costs.

Joyce Watson said:

“There’s been significant interest in the reported consultation on school uniforms.

“The Welsh Government, of course, has extended the pupil development grant to support more families with the cost of uniforms and school kit…but the Children’s Society says the average cost of school uniform is still over £300 per child per year – that is completely unnecessary and unfair.

“Can you provide an update on what schools in my region are doing to ensure families claim all the support that is available to them, and on the timetable for that public consultation?”

Families in Wales whose children are eligible for free school meals can apply to their local authority for the pupil development grant (PDG). The Welsh Government recently expanded the scheme to all compulsory school years. It is worth £225 per learner, except for those entering year 7, who can claim £300 because of the higher costs associated with starting secondary school.

The Mid and West Wales Senedd Member added:

“It’s three years since we brought in guidance to improve uniform affordability—two years before England—and the succession of Westminster Tory governments has widened inequality. Now we find that school uniform banks are springing up, alongside food banks, alongside proposed warmth banks, and yet the bankers will get their extended bonuses.”

In response to rising living costs, school uniform banks, pop-up shops and exchanges have been set up across the region. In Brecon, Labour councillors last month organised a swap shop to help families get ready for the new school year. In Aberystwyth, the Sense charity shop has given away free uniforms, as part of its cost-of-living campaign. And in Pembrokeshire and elsewhere, parents are using social media to organise their own uniform sales, swaps, and giveaways.

Replying to Mrs Watson, Jeremy Miles MS said:

“I thank Joyce Watson for that supplementary question. She’s right to say, of course, that the costs of school uniform are a considerable concern for many families. I wrote to schools over the summer recess, towards the end of the recess, to say to them that we will be looking again, as she says, at the guidance that’s been in place for three years.

“We know that the cost of uniform with school logos can be a real issue for families, so I will want to look at whether that is absolutely necessary and whether schools should be required to provide iron-on logos free of charge, so that the merits of the school uniform can be maintained without the costs being borne by those who are struggling most.

“The PDG access grant that we run in Wales is the most generous of any part of the UK. And that is one of a range of ways in which we support families, but the pressures that families are feeling due to costs are very, very real, and there are many families who don’t qualify for free school meals who are also finding it challenging, obviously, which is why tackling some of those questions, like the cost of uniforms, is so important.”