New limits on the number of branded items schools can require pupils to wear have come into force this week.
Primary schools can require no more than three branded uniform items, while secondary and middle schools can require four if one is a tie.
The limits cover clothing and other items required under a school’s uniform policy, including branded PE and sports kit. Schools cannot avoid the rules by describing branded items as optional if no affordable alternative is available.
Schools will also be expected to review their uniform supplier arrangements at least every five years. Updated guidance due later this year will encourage them to choose suppliers offering payment plans and ensure parents are not restricted to unnecessarily expensive providers.
Research by Save the Children found that 47 per cent of parents regard school uniform as their biggest financial concern when preparing for the new school year.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the cost of school uniforms had become too high for many families.
He said: “School uniforms shouldn’t be charged at luxury prices when they’re everyday essentials.
“We’ll close loopholes and make sure schools shop around for suppliers and consider payment plans.”
Education Secretary Lucy Powell said schools would be expected to comply with the limits.
She said: “No family should be priced out by a school’s choice of uniform supplier or an insistence on branded items.
“We’ve been clear with schools – three items for primary, four for secondary.”
The Government said procedures were in place to monitor compliance. The Education Secretary has the power to direct a school to change its uniform policy if it does not follow the rules.
The uniform limits form part of a wider package of measures being introduced this term.
Free school meals are being extended to every child living in a household receiving Universal Credit. The Government estimates that the change will make at least 500,000 additional children eligible and save families around £500 per child each year.
Eligible working parents of children aged from nine months to school age can access 30 hours of funded childcare each week during term time. More than 9,000 additional childcare places are also expected to become available through school-based nurseries from September 2026.
Free breakfast clubs are being introduced at more than 1,400 additional schools, bringing the national total to more than 2,700. The Government estimates that the clubs will reach more than 680,000 children.
