Foodbank donates 200 school uniforms in matter of hours as costs hit hard despite new laws

Video report by Granada Reports Correspondent Ann O'Connor

Schools are just days away from returning from the summer holidays, but there are more warnings about the alarming cost of school uniform.

And that's despite a change in the law to reduce the cost of uniform for parents who can least afford it.

One Cheshire-based foodbank says they've seen a huge rise in demand for uniforms this summer.

The Warrington Foodbank have converted their entire unit in the town's Golden Square shopping centre, solely to pass on second hand uniforms to parents ahead of the new term.

Ben Pennell, who runs the foodbank, says they gave away almost two hundred items of uniform in a four hour period.

"It's clear to me on the ground level that it's affecting everybody. It's not just those people who might need to use those crisis services, it's spreading across all levels of society."

At the Warrington Foodbank, one mother called Charlie, stopped to speak to ITV News' Ann O'Connor. Shopping for a pair of shoes for children, she said: "Our mortgage has gone up, things are just really expensive.

"We've managed to buy a few bits like shirts, tights that kind of thing, but actually shoes are so expensive and we're at our limit for this month, so thought we'd pop in here and see what there was."

Now, schools are asked to keep branding on uniform to a minimum, allowing parents to buy generic items like jumpers, dresses and sports gear from supermarkets. Schools were told to comply by the start of this school term. But - it seems - very few have.

Mike Amesbury, the Labour MP for Weaver Vale was instrumental in changing the law around school uniforms.

The Education (Guidance about Costs of School Uniforms) Act received the government’s backing and came into force in autumn last year. It applies to England only.

Under guidance published following the introduction of the Act, schools must make sure second-hand uniforms are available.

The Weaver Vale MP said he was concerned to hear that parents are still struggling to find affordable school uniforms, and has warned the law may need to be strengthened to force some schools to comply.

He said "The Government must intervene. I've raised this on the floor of the House of Commons before the summer recess.

"If they don't comply, I will be very keen to strengthen the statutory guidance."

It's thought schools could be restricted to no more than one branded item in the future.

The Department for Education said the guidance came into effect in the last academic year and it expects all schools to be compliant by September 2023.In a statement, they said:"We will continue to work with responsible bodies and schools to ensure the guidance is followed and uniform policies are reasonable."

Earlier this year, The Children's Society polled two thousand parents and carers to find the average cost for school uniforms.

Mark Russell, the Chief Executive of the Children's Society told Granada Reports he was disappointed that so many parents are still being forced to pay high prices for branded uniforms.

"We want to help parents to know they have the power to do something about it.

"We want to encourage them to contact head teachers, to contact school's board of governors and ask why and to ask when those changes will be made."

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