This DfE report looks at whether the relative cost of school uniforms has changed since the previous 2015 report and assesses the impacts of the statutory guidance on the cost of school uniforms.
Nearly all parents/carers said their child’s school required children to wear school uniform. Several items are required by nearly every child who requires a school uniform, including shirts/blouses (98% for girls and 97% for boys) and shoes (95%), while fewer parents/carers than in 2015 mentioned jumpers/sweatshirts (87% compared with 91%).
There was little change in uniform items required between 2015 and 2023.
The proportion of parents/carers who reported that their child’s school required them to have blazers changed little between 2015 and 2023 (35% and 37% respectively). Fewer parents/carers mentioned school bags in 2023 compared with 2015 (68% compared with 79%).
Parents/carers whose child was at a secondary school were more likely than those whose child was at a primary school to require a blazer (83% compared with 7%), and this proportion had increased in secondary schools since 2015 (75%).