The School Uniform Bill Is a Missed Opportunity
The draft School Uniforms Bill introduced by Education Minister, Paul Givan, is a missed opportunity to do something positive to relieve the burden placed on parents, some who may have several children attending primary and secondary schools.
The Bill for all its hype when out for consultation does not substantially alter the status quo. Schools will still have the authority to select the type of uniforms, and provide the choice of suppliers, and they only need to consult with parents. None of these limited options address the real issues of the future and current financial burden on those families living in poverty, or their having to top up the school uniform grants, that in some cases might only cover the cost of a single item depending on the choice of school.
Research compiled by LucidTalk for Save the Children in 2023 found that 1 in 10 parents in Northern Ireland said their child has missed out on school due to issues relating to school uniform or PE kit.
A third of parents said they’d had to borrow money to cover the cost of school uniforms and PE kits, while 6 in 10 found the cost of school uniforms and PE kits financially challenging, and this figure rose to 73% for parents on low incomes.
Despite these clear indications that school uniforms are too expensive for huge numbers of parents, Mr Givan’s Bill merely tinkers with the status quo and will do nothing to mitigate the burden on working class families.
Asked whether a school uniform price cap is being considered, Mr Givan said that within the draft legislation he will seek a power to introduce a cap but will not force schools to introduce one. Significantly, Minister Givan has decided that “there are commercial market considerations, and I have no doubt the [Education] committee will want to hear from retailers as they consider this issue.”
Parents should be in no doubt where Mr Givan’s sympathies lie.
The school uniform adds no value to the education of our children, it provides no meaningful learning or teaching tool. If schools want to differentiate it could be easily done by a school tie and a school badge. The Workers Party is not opposed to school uniforms. But we are opposed to expensive corporate style uniforms which should have no place in our public education system.
These types of expensive uniforms close school doors to many families, they don’t open them. Given the levels of poverty deprivation and the fact that 25% of our children live in poverty, the Minister has definitely missed an important opportunity to make a change. It would seem that being able to buy school uniforms from your local supermarket is not the Minister’s cup of tea either.