The Schoolwear Association is delighted to release its new report ‘Dressed for success: insights from teachers and industry on school uniform costs and habits‘
Throughout April and May, The Schoolwear Association conducted two detailed surveys to understand the role school uniform continues to play in creating a secure and inclusive educational environment for children and young people across the country – and the impact of recent Government guidance in reducing costs for families.
The report shows the valuable role that school uniform continues to play in creating a secure and inclusive educational environment for children and young people across the country. Importantly, the report demonstrates that the new Government guidance is working and has succeeded in reducing uniform costs for families.
Our data shows that in 2023, despite spiraling inflation, the combined average basket cost of compulsory secondary school uniform reduced from £101.19 per pupil in 2020, to £96.24 per pupil when they start secondary school this year.
In real terms, this equates to a significant decrease in school uniform costs compared to previous years and demonstrates how the new statutory guidance has effectively reduced the number of school branded items that schools are specifying – keeping costs down for families. Further information can be found in our separate briefing paper, ‘Average cost of school uniform’.