Debate contribution: School Uniforms (Guidelines and Allowances) Bill: Second Stage

Debate contribution by Mr Pat Sheehan on 3 March 2025.

MLA

Mr Pat Sheehan

Party at the time

Sinn Féin

Date

3 March 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Executive Committee Business

Heading

School Uniforms (Guidelines and Allowances) Bill: Second Stage

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4826467

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I welcome the opportunity to speak at the Second Stage of the Bill. The cost of school uniforms has been a serious issue for families across the North for far too long. No parent should have to choose between heating their home, putting food on the table and ensuring that their child has the correct school uniform. Sinn Féin has consistently called for action on the issue, and I welcome the Minister's recognition that reform is needed. The Bill is a welcome step. It places a legal requirement on the Department of Education to issue clear guidance to schools to ensure that affordability is central to uniform policies. That is an important move. The commitment to addressing unfair costs, promoting clothing banks and supporting uniform lending schemes are positive measures that should help hard-pressed families who are already struggling in the face of a cost-of-living crisis. However, while the Bill lays the groundwork, there are areas where it must go further to ensure real change.

For too long, families have been locked into costly single-supplier agreements for school uniforms, and the Bill rightly seeks to challenge that. We must ensure that it fully ends the practice of schools restricting parents to one expensive provider. Schools should be required to permit non-branded alternatives and ensure genuine choice for families. Likewise, the excessive cost of PE kits needs to be tackled head-on. Parents should not be forced to purchase expensive branded sports gear when perfectly suitable and affordable alternatives are available. There must be a clear and enforceable limit on branded items in uniform policies.

I also note the potential for a financial cap on uniform costs, which is an important measure. However, Sinn Féin will press to ensure that that is not left as an optional guideline but is a firm and enforceable limit that genuinely reduces costs for families. Sinn Féin is committed to fairness and equality in education. No child should be at a disadvantage because their family cannot afford an expensive uniform. The Bill is a step forward, but we will work constructively at Committee Stage to strengthen it, ensuring that it delivers for families not just in words but in real, enforceable action. Uniforms should not be a barrier to education, and the Bill has the potential to ease financial pressures on parents and ensure a fairer approach to school uniform policy. With the right amendments, it can make a real difference to working families across the North. Sinn Féin will continue to stand up for families who are struggling with those costs, and we support the passing of the Bill at Second Stage.

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

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:07 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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