CASH-STRAPPED parents are still having to spend exorbitant amounts on school uniforms despite changes introduced last year aimed at keeping costs down, a major charity has warned. 

Parents and carers of primary pupils are forced to fork out about £287 a year on uniforms, while those with secondary kids face an average annual bill of a whopping £422, according to research by the Children’s Society.

The charity, which polled 2,000 parents across Britain and Northern Ireland last month, said the high costs are partly due to the requirement from some schools for branded items bought from specialist shops rather than supermarkets or high-street chains.

This is despite new government-backed legislation which advises schools in England to keep branded uniform items to a minimum by allowing more high-street options.

The Education (Guidance about Costs of School Uniforms) Act 2022 also required primaries and secondaries to ensure secondhand uniforms are available. 

Children’s Society chief executive Mark Russell condemned the findings as alarming and warned: “With inflation and the cost of living eating into family budgets, we are disappointed that the affordability of school uniforms remains a significant financial burden for many families.

“As an organisation, we had campaigned for many years to make school uniform affordable, and while some schools have made commendable changes to reduce costs, this positive trend is still not widespread enough.

“We urge parents who struggle with the affordability of school uniforms to contact the school and the school governors.”

In SNP-administered Scotland, school clothing grants are available to some young people and can be applied for via the local council, while in Labour-run Wales, families can apply for a school essentials grant via their local authority.