Debate contribution: School Uniforms: Affordability

Debate contribution by Mr David Brooks on 5 March 2024.

MLA

Mr David Brooks

Party at the time

Democratic Unionist Party

Date

5 March 2024

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

School Uniforms: Affordability

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4252494

Read the official Assembly record

Text

A school uniform will have formed a key part of the childhood of most if not all of us here and been part of our earliest and, I hope, for most, our fondest and happiest days. School uniforms are symbolic of a shared experience between ourselves, our friends and our classmates in our formative years, who are often people from different backgrounds and types of family and from homes with varying incomes. For many of us, any other child was a friend to talk to and play with. I do not say that naively, and I do not presume that it is the experience of all, but, for the most part, children at our schools do not analyse their classmates through a lens of social class or parental income as immediately or as instinctively as many of us who are older do. That is a good thing, and it is, at least in part, down to a uniform. On that basis, I am glad that the motion implicitly recognises the value of a school uniform as a leveller and as something that should promote togetherness, unity and pride in a child's school and shared experience. School uniforms are a positive part of our school days, yet there is clearly and increasingly an issue with their cost. That is why, I suspect, every party had something to say on it during the previous election campaign, and it is why the issue has come to the Floor so soon after the Assembly's re-establishment. The motion is right to warn that the very reasons why we support the use of uniforms risk being undermined when the cost of those uniforms become exorbitant. If, through excessive use of branding or exclusive trader arrangements, a uniform itself becomes an indication of who has and who has not, it accentuates rather than curbs elitism and social hierarchy and becomes a source of anxiety rather than pride. That is not only unacceptable to us; it violates the fundamental reason for having them. I do not think that any school wants to add significantly to the financial burden or anxiety of parents, nor would they seek to make a child feel excluded. The vast majority adhere to guidance that is already out there, are sensitive to such barriers and rightly seek to minimise them. They want to see pupils thrive; indeed, few, if any, elements of the public sector have as much engagement with young families as our school staff at all levels. They are often the first to recognise and assist when a pupil is facing difficulty. In that vein, most schools have been proactive in meeting the needs of their wider school community and awake to the challenges of the cost-of-living crisis, limiting branded items and facilitating pre-loved uniform shops. However, we know that, disappointingly, a minority have been less sensitive and reactive. Many of our communities, as we will have heard, have been supported by charities and community organisations. I am aware of a number of excellent schemes in east Belfast. The EastSide Partnership's Scaffolding Project and the Cregagh's TeamDot provide free pre-loved school uniforms. I am aware of many voluntary, community and faith-based organisations that help in that way. We should thank those individuals and organisations, yet we should not be relying on them. In many ways, their existence demonstrates the need for all levels of government to do more. That is something that the DUP has argued for. We urged the Westminster Government to act to extend the zero rate and consider a cap. The Minister, early in his tenure, is looking at ways to protect parents from financial stress and enhance pupil experience that are not overburdensome on schools. A pre-consultation exercise is taking place, and I look forward to promoting school, parental and wider community engagement with a fuller consultation later in the year. That will doubtless address some of the key issues that we have already heard about today. An uplift in uniform grants is a sensible and desirable option. However, last week, the House debated SEN provision. We are all aware of the need for more funding to meet the challenges there. It is a familiar retort, but such initiatives all require resource. Nobody is opposed to supporting families and children in this way, least of all the Education Minister, but the decisions to deliver or not deliver such support are often not made at his desk; they are made when the budget is allocated, which, as ever, is something for all parties and all Ministers to consider. Parents in Northern Ireland should be able to consider a school on the basis of educational outcomes and pastoral care and not of whether they can afford its uniform. However, ensuring that that fundamental principle is reality is not just a role for the Minister: we all have a role to play.

811 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not qualifying

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 09:46 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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