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

Debate contribution by Mrs Michelle Guy on 15 September 2025.

MLA

Mrs Michelle Guy

Party at the time

Alliance Party

Date

15 September 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Executive Committee Business

Heading

School Uniforms (Guidelines and Allowances) Bill: Consideration Stage

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5099888

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Madam Principal Deputy Speaker, I will make your life easy by speaking to the amendments in group 2 on the content of guidelines and commencement. The selected amendments in the group are about strengthening the Bill to give it the best chance to deliver real change for families. Each amendment addresses specific weaknesses by ensuring consultation with those directly affected, making uniform policies consistent with the play-based curriculum, tackling costs through supplier choice and transparency, and making sure that key provisions take effect without unnecessary delay. Taken together, they make the legislation stronger, fairer and more effective. I restate that, as a Committee, we took legal advice and drafting advice from the Bill Office on all the amendments that we submitted. There is an opportunity to tidy things up at Further Consideration Stage. Amendments Nos 2 and 3 focus on consultation by schools and are straightforward. The vast majority of schools constantly speak to parents and children and receive feedback on many things, including uniform. The amendments ensure that the Department has to make provision in the guidance for who schools must consult and that parents, guardians and pupils are included in that consultation. Amendment No 5 concerns the play-based curriculum. My colleague Nick Mathison has been particularly passionate about that, and I fully support him on it. We speak of how crucial a play-based curriculum is for children in the early stages of their education, yet we continue to permit schools not to reflect that in their uniform. The amendment, if passed, will ensure that the play-based curriculum is appropriately considered in uniform policies. I often note that the only people who leave my house in the morning wearing a tie are my kids as they go to school, when their dad works in an office. The amendment is about young kids at Foundation Stage. Their uniform should reflect the stage of their education journey, so it is a common-sense amendment, and I hope that Members will support it. Amendments Nos 6 and 7 are about single-supplier contracts. Amendment No 6 refers to availability for purchase. That is essential — it is unfortunate that it is essential — and the amendment ensures that guidance to schools includes strong provisions to ensure that items required for a uniform:

"are available for purchase from at least one retailer or provider which does not hold any formal or informal ... agreement, with the school".

That ensures choice for parents, and we hope that, in the interim, until the Minister proceeds with a cost cap, it will have an impact on cost. The second part of the amendment adds nuance. The Committee heard feedback on some cases in which schools could openly explain how they were able to negotiate lower prices through a supplier or series of suppliers. Transparency is essential. The theme of transparency is in the amendment. We have heard disappointing stories of schools opting for a supplier, for example, to deliver PE and sports kit, after the decision-making process was influenced by staff having received free kit. That is a minority example, but no school or organisation should be afraid of transparency, and the amendment ensures that when it comes to formal or informal agreements with suppliers. Amendment No 13 ensures that clause 3 would come into operation on Royal Assent and not simply when the Department wants it to. That clause focuses the guidance on limiting items of clothing or sets of clothing, which is, as we know, essential in making an impact on the cost of uniforms. We understand that the Department needs more time to work on a cost cap design, but we have allowed for that in the amendment.

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

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 13:08 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

Disagree with this assessment?

Classifications can be challenged. A person reads every challenge, and any change is recorded publicly above with its reason.

Challenge this classification