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

Debate contribution by Mrs Michelle Guy on 3 March 2025.

MLA

Mrs Michelle Guy

Party at the time

Alliance Party

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 4826479

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I thank the Minister for introducing the Bill and his officials for their work to get it to this point. As a relatively new Member, it is wonderful for me to have a piece of legislation to work through, especially one that is as worthy as this. Every child has the right to a high-quality education, and there should be no barriers to that right. Families have long called for measures on the cost and availability of uniforms, so it is good that, following the relentless cycle of Assembly collapse, we, as legislators, can finally respond to those calls. In reality, however, families face financial barriers in sending their children to school, the cost and availability of uniforms being just one of them. Save the Children published research in 2023 that showed that one in three parents has had to borrow money to cover the cost of school uniforms and PE kits. That is an unacceptable and untenable situation, so we must not miss the opportunity that the Bill offers to give such families certainty that the legislation will deliver for them. The level of engagement with the consultation on the Bill, at over 7,500 survey responses, shows the strength of feeling and reflects lived experience. I look forward to working on the Education Committee and with the Minister and his officials to ensure that the legislation delivers on its intention to remove or, at the very least, reduce one of the financial barriers to children's education: the cost of school uniforms. I also look to the legislation to ensure that uniforms are comfortable and appropriate for our children and young people and to ensure that clear consideration is shown to children with special educational needs, who deserve a school uniform that, again, is not a barrier to their right to education. As it stands, I have concerns that the Bill will not create the change that families need to see. The Department has had non-statutory guidance in place since 2004, which urges schools to ensure that school uniforms are affordable. Many schools do that. Some, as is clear from the numerous reports and the consultation responses, continue to require families to purchase items from particular suppliers or spend huge amounts of money on specific items. Therefore, we welcome the move to place the guidance on a statutory footing. The legislation, as it stands, will give the Department as much scope as possible in what to include in that statutory guidance. That makes sense. However, it means that the delivery of the ambition for the legislation rests on what the Department chooses to place in the guidance. It is important, therefore, to understand the direction of travel of the Minister and the Department as to what they intend to include and act on and what they want to ensure that schools will adhere to. For example, the legislation says that the Department "may include" provision on styles and numbers of clothing items that are deemed to be reasonable. Also, in clause 4, it allows "provision" for a cost cap. Essentially, the Department may or may not introduce a cost cap. I am yet to be convinced that statutory guidance alone will ensure that families in coming years will not continue to face huge costs. The response to the consultation was clear: 88% of respondents were in favour of cost controls, and so Alliance still feels strongly that a cap should not just be talked about but should be implemented, ideally by an independent body or person. I look forward to exploring that further in the Committee Stage. There must be clarity on how the Department will ensure adherence to new statutory guidelines. I ask the Minister to provide further information on how that process will work. Clause 7 appears to ensure engagement with the school manager if complaints are received, which is right, but it does not appear to ensure engagement with parents, young people or whoever is making the complaint before a way forward is decided upon. School uniforms are important in ensuring a sense of community and equality. There should not be barriers either to accessing education or to fully participating in it. I welcome the legislation and look forward to working, on a cross-party basis, to ensure that it delivers for pupils and their families.

718 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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