A Sheffield peer has highlighted the high cost of some school uniforms when debating the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill in the House of Lords
The bill has been debated back and forth between the two Houses of Parliament in a process which is often referred to as legislative “pingpong”.
Lord Shaffaq Mohammed of Tinsley, a Liberal Democrat peer, addressed the Lords and acknowledged that the Government wants to reduce the number of items required in uniforms.
The government has estimated that its policies would reduce the cost of uniforms by £50 per child. The Department for Education said last year that parents pay £442 on average to kit a child out for secondary school, and £343 for primary school children.
However, Lord Mohammed urged them to review it 12 months from its implementation, and look at the possibility of a cap on the cost of uniforms and providing free uniforms to those on free school meals.
He said: “They are going to limit the cost of school uniforms by potentially limiting the numbers, but there is still a cost involved. I want the Government, as and when they can—once the economy picks up, I hope—to support every child who is on free school meals.”
He speaks from lived experience. He recently wrote in an article: “My father worked in the local steel industry in Sheffield until mass de-industrialisation under Margaret Thatcher saw him lose his job, stripping us of our financial security.
“We often struggled to put food on the table or keep warm in winter. I was one of the many children who benefited from free school meals and a clothing grant provided by Sheffield City Council, led by David Blunkett.”
He spoke about being able to go to the local education authority and get clothing for school when he was a child. That experience is what is driving him to ‘try to do the best for young people in Sheffield and across the country’.
Lord Mohammed recognises that this is eager and will remain just an ‘ideal’ unless we address the ‘persistent inequalities that shape a child’s journey long before they sit an exam’. He agrees that for now the first, and easiest, solution is a cheaper uniform.
