Debate contribution: School Uniforms: Affordability

Debate contribution by Mr Robbie Butler on 5 March 2024.

MLA

Mr Robbie Butler

Party at the time

Ulster Unionist Party

Date

5 March 2024

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

School Uniforms: Affordability

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4252496

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I support the motion and believe that we will support the amendment, although we probably have a couple of things to tease out on that. I declare an interest as a member of a board of governors, as a parent who will be involved in the process of purchasing uniforms over the next few years and as someone who, a long time ago, was a young person who felt the effects of this. The effects are not new. They have been there for over 40 years, unfortunately, probably longer. It is possible that even Mr Sheehan felt the impacts of this when he was a young person. The truth is that every young person and child in Northern Ireland has the right to a free education, but the evidence is clear that the lack of accountability for the cost of school uniforms and PE kits is building a barrier to many children getting that right to free education and the school of their choice, simply because their family cannot afford some of the mandatory kit. Sadly, the Assembly has failed thousands of children over the years by not acting sooner to tackle the rising costs of school uniforms and PE kits. Those young people deserve better from all of us. We have known for many years that this is a problem, but we have been ineffective and allowed the status quo to remain. We cannot do that any more. The public want us to act, and families cannot afford for us not to act. Growing numbers of families experience a building dread — I felt it when I was growing up and again when my children were growing up — when the summer holidays are coming to an end and the school bills start to stack up. For many families, that has become an eye-watering moment every summer. For many of those families, the return to school after the summer means a deep financial struggle that stretches them to the brink, and, as Mr Sheehan rightly pointed out, it is often the low-paid families who struggle most. We have allowed the situation to get out of control: sadly, uniform has become dominated by expensive branded and crested items that are, in many instances, unnecessary and, as we have read in many reports, seem to cost more than the monthly grocery shop. The motion states that families are getting into debt. Recent research from Save the Children revealed that around one in 10 children has had to miss school due to issues with school uniforms and PE kits. That is not right, and the Assembly should not be comfortable with any child experiencing that. I have met the Department of Education about this, and I know that the Minister has outlined concerns about the attendance figures of many of our children. The Assembly, along with schools, should do all that we can to address the barriers and ensure that financial worries around uniforms are not one of the problems. The motion calls on the Minister of Education to:

"make school uniforms more affordable by introducing statutory guidance requiring schools to have competitive tendering processes, to remove the use of unnecessary branded items and to permit the use of cheaper high street alternatives".

Evidence from England and Wales, where that action has been taken, shows that statutory guidance alone is simply not enough. We need to grasp the nettle and consider the value and efficacy of embedding a price cap that could be decided by an independent panel. I want to see that teased out more in the debate. That would not only protect families from unreasonable demands on their finances but ensure that we do not end up with a two-tiered system of those who can and those who cannot afford expensive, branded kits. There are some great examples that the Minister may well point to of schools that have shown that it is possible to reduce costs while maintaining quality. I urge the Minister to showcase those schools as models that could be followed. Children have one childhood. Let us not burden them with the issue of how they dress for school, and let us allow their parents the dignity of being able to afford a school uniform and a PE kit without having to sacrifice basic items such as food and energy or, indeed, get into debt. We have a real chance to make a tangible difference and to put money back into the pockets of families. We need to act quickly. The first steps of tackling the issue do not come with a huge price tag. Yes, under the current arrangements, the grant is much too low and schools remain unaccountable, to some extent, for their decision making, but the delivery of statutory guidance with an embedded price cap will not cost millions or create budget pressures, so there is no excuse for stalling. I will end on a point that is not in my notes. The Chair of the Education Committee raised a good point. There are pressures on families — I talked about summer coming to an end and having to finance school uniforms — but the vicarious passing on of that trauma to our children exacerbates mental ill health and well-being issues for pupils. This is an easy win that we can secure before September, and I hope to hear the Minister respond in a positive way.

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

Assessment

Not qualifying

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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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