Debate contribution: School Uniforms: Affordability

Debate contribution by Mrs Cathy Mason on 5 March 2024.

MLA: Mrs Cathy Mason
Party at the time: Sinn Féin
Date: 5 March 2024
Type: Debate contribution
Business: Private Members' Business
Heading: School Uniforms: Affordability
Assembly identifier: Official Report component 4252835

Text

Every family should be able to afford their child's school uniform and PE gear, no ifs, no buts. We can work together in the Assembly to ensure that, thus giving families the much-needed break that they deserve. I have with me in my hand today the responses from over 1,500 families to a recent party survey that we conducted. At the time, I gave a guarantee to each of those families that I would try to make their voice heard. With the Education Minister here today, I will take the opportunity to read out a few of their personal testimonies to him:
"I dread July and August coming around every year. It is a time when most people love, but I don't. I struggle to purchase food because of school uniform costs."
Another parent said:
"I am a full-time nurse and in a good band in the health service, yet I financially and mentally struggle with the costs of school uniform for my children. Work is tough enough without this."
Another said:
"I work full-time and, whatever overtime I can get, still I struggle to afford the cost of my kids' uniforms and school costs. I am now looking at taking on a second job."
Another said:
"I have sleepless nights with the worry of school uniform costs. I have tried taking out loans, but that doesn't go far enough."
The unfortunate and very sad reality is that I could go on and on with those personal testimonies. Many families are really hard-pressed at the minute as a result of the high costs of heating, electricity and food. They already struggle to make ends meet, and, when the summer comes around, the cost of school uniforms really can be the straw that breaks the camel's back. By putting all our shoulders to the wheel and working together in this Assembly, we can make school uniforms more affordable and help keep the money in families' pockets. Making a positive difference to the everyday lives of ordinary people must be our focus. We need to make sure that going to school is as easy as possible for each and every child in the North, and that means removing unnecessary barriers by making school uniforms affordable for all families, giving our children a good meal and getting them to and from school easily. We cannot have that single mother having sleepless nights, worrying about whether or not she can get her daughter the expensive blazer, the father working extra hours to get that PE uniform or the grandmother spending her much-needed pension on her grandson's branded jumper. It is simply not acceptable. Many families are burdened by debt every year because uniforms and PE gear cost hundreds of pounds for just one child. It is an experience that I, as a parent, have been challenged by as well, and, I am sure, many in the House have been too. Some of the stark findings from Parentkind are a clear signal that families need help to tackle the huge cost of school uniforms. In the North, 71% of parents surveyed claimed that their top school cost worry is the price of school uniforms, and 30% of parents in the North struggle to afford the costs associated with sending their children to school. As has been mentioned, the Children's Society found that parents who had to buy two or more items from specified suppliers said that the average cost was around 50% more expensive. That should not be the case. One in 10 parents surveyed by Save the Children said that their child had missed school due to issues relating to school uniforms or PE kits. That cannot go on: every child has the right to a good education. Children should not miss out on school because of the cost of their uniform. Families should not be priced out of schools, and children, especially, should not be burdened by financial pressures. Families do not deserve that. Save the Children also stated that 60% of parents find the cost of school uniforms and PE kits financially challenging, and that disproportionately affects low- and middle-income households. A third of parents across the North have had to borrow money to cover the cost of school uniforms and PE kits. As has been mentioned, we are now in the scenario where families are being forced into debt, year-on-year, borrowing from their local credit unions, taking out high-interest personal loans or credit cards, and they are finding it very difficult to break the seemingly never-ending cycle. It is clear that the Department of Education's current guidance on the cost of school uniforms is not touching the sides of the transformations that are needed to help our struggling families. We must be more ambitious to help working families with rising school costs. The current school uniform grants available from the Education Authority are inadequate to deal with the rising cost of living, and that must be rectified if we want to make uniforms affordable. The Department should urgently review the grant threshold to ensure that all children in poverty receive the support they deserve, and that no child is excluded from accessing their education. There is much more work to be done to establish a fair tendering process for school uniforms, one that aims to provide high-quality, affordable uniforms that are built to last, can be passed down through households or passed on to new pupils. We must also be more ambitious to help working families with rising school costs by looking at the concept of voluntary contributions. It is clear that those contributions are putting further pressure on families, with 17% of them stating that it is their top worry. Families deserve a break, now more than ever. I will work with everyone in the House to ensure that that happens. The Education Minister must act now to address the issue, particularly as we near the time of the year when parents begin to buy uniforms. There have been so many valid points made by all parties, right across the House, and it is clear that those concerns are being raised with everyone. I want to mention specifically the comment made by Connie Egan, who made the point that the compulsory wearing of skirts is a gender equality issue, and that everyone should be able to wear what they feel comfortable in. My party colleague Pat Sheehan raised the issue that parents are already struggling with the cost-of-living crisis, and this cost is only adding to it. He made comparisons with other countries, such as Spain. David Brooks mentioned the value of a school uniform, but also the dangers of obsessive branding. Robbie Butler mentioned that the lack of accountability acts as a barrier to accessible education for all, and that people should have a choice.
Cara Hunter said that the North was lagging behind in grant support and drew comparisons with England, Scotland, Wales and, of course, the South. Gerry Carroll said that it is appalling that families are having to choose between eating and affording school uniforms. That is the reality that we face. Those are just a few of the strong arguments that were made. I welcome the commitment from the Minister today to launch a consultation to legislate on the issue. I urge him to do that as quickly as possible, as we are nearing the time of year when many parents begin to purchase school uniforms. I thank Members for their contributions to the debate, and I thank the Alliance Party for its amendment. I thank Members for their support on what is a very important issue to many of their constituents.

1,277 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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