Schoolwear Association aims to ensure quality moves up the uniform agenda as schools are ordered to become academies

Our Chair David Burgess has responded to the Chancellor’s announcement in the Budget that all state schools are to become academies by 2020.

He said: “Legislation will be brought before Parliament shortly and it will be clearer how it might actually work. We will be looking at it closely and keeping our members informed.

“There are always developments in education that have implications for suppliers of school uniform, such as last autumn’s announcement that the DfE uniform guidelines would be made statutory.

“The Schoolwear Association continues to work with all those who have an interest in school uniform, including schools, suppliers, specialists, parents, government and other stakeholders.

“There have been many changes to Schools during the past 15 years, causing all sorts of challenges and this is another. Whatever system evolves, our primary aim is that children and students will start the school year with a proper uniform.

“It is possible that the change to academy status will result in at least some head teachers considering their school’s uniform. There is a lot of work to do to ensure everything goes smoothly.

“The School Uniform market is a very competitive environment, which has brought great benefits for parents. Many of the main items of uniform are lower in cost than they were 20 years ago. We recognize that cost is an important element, but there has to be the right balance with quality, performance and service if uniform is to deliver the benefits that schools, parents and government all want in our education system.

“There are other announcements in the Budget that have implications for school uniform. Secondary schools in England will bid for new funding for extra activities like sport and art. A quarter of secondary schools to stay open after 3:30pm so durable, longer-lasting and comfortable uniform will be even more of a priority.

“We assure our members and everyone with in interest in school uniform that as education faces change, we will be working hard to encourage common sense throughout the issues that arise over the coming years.”

Every child is worth it

Every child deserves a quality school-specific uniform, says David Burgess, Chairman of the Schoolwear Association.  

“A student should be able to go to school in a good quality uniform, which matches that of everyone else and provides real value for money because it lasts longer.

Each child also has the right to all the things a good quality uniform can help to confer, such as improved behaviour, better learning and greater all-round safety. Good quality uniforms can help students with their overall school experience.

So how do schools provide quality uniforms to their students? This is achieved by working closely with specialist suppliers. They understand how important Schoolwear is, and have the experience and knowledge to recommend the right options which help to create a sense of pride in the school and the community.

Specialist suppliers can offer suitable solutions for everyone, by using a mix of clothes specific to the school and others, which are more widely available. They recognise the importance of being able to provide all sizes and all colour options all year round, not just at ‘back to school’ time.

We cannot avoid the topic of price, as this is very important to the majority of parents, but when looking for the best value from a garment, it is false economy to think that clothing our children in cheap Schoolwear is the answer, especially if it isn’t durable and it doesn’t do the job properly. It is even worse if it comes with a hidden price tag at the expense of the environment or the workers who had to produce it.

It is a preconception that purchasing uniform from specialist suppliers is costly, as our research highlighted - school uniform costs on average just 45p per school day. The real drain on many family budgets is the clothing children wear when they are not in school. One individual garment to be worn out of school could cost an average of £46.58, that’s £13.10 more than the cost of a full primary school uniform, excluding PE kit.

Of course, for poorer families in the UK, the cost of uniform can be a stretch. Many specialist suppliers have close relationships with their schools and are able to offer a number of ways to help in these situations. We have campaigned in the past to reduce the VAT on school uniform and to offer school uniform vouchers similar to child care vouchers to workers. Both campaigns have fallen on “deaf ears” but we continue to offer advice to schools about other ways to help families who struggle with the costs of raising a child.

Specialist uniform suppliers are in the business of producing uniform which meets high quality standards and provides the children with something durable and lasting to wear. A uniform that is made well lasts longer, does the job better and offers real value for money. It will always provide better long term value over a cheaper and less robust garment.”

Schoolwear Association issues guidance following new rules for schools on uniform

The Schoolwear Association has issued guidance to its members about “potentially dramatic” changes to the school uniform supply chain.

Following The Department for Education’s (DfE) announcement that its School Uniform Guidelines are becoming statutory, the association is advising all those involved with any part of the school uniform market to make themselves aware of the changes.

The statutory guidelines, which are expected to be in place by the end of next year, will require schools to undertake tendering before selecting suppliers for school-specific uniform. The announcement that the previous guidelines would no longer be optional has led to a rush of enquiries from schools to the association about how to respond.

David Burgess, Chairman of the Schoolwear Association, said: “Although we believe that schools generally make sensible and pragmatic decisions about supply, price and the balance of school uniform, we welcome the changes as we believe they will create greater certainty for schools. However, this will have an impact on the industry, and we are advising members to contact us to ensure they prepare efficiently.”

The Schoolwear Association anticipates one effect of the statutory guidelines is that schools will take more control over who supplies with more schools trademarking their badges as a part of the tender process.

Mr Burgess said the schoolwear industry was already a highly competitive marketplace but that schools and suppliers needed to be aware of areas that might be seen as anti-competitive.

He said: “The Competition and Markets Authority has said it will monitor the effect of the rules to ensure that schools and suppliers comply with Competition Law. It is important that the industry responds to this, and as an association we have promised our cooperation with the CMA.”

Seven reasons why school-specific school uniform is important:

Stories in the national media sometimes focus on the cost of school uniform without acknowledging the benefits. 

School uniform is a serious matter and should not be brought down to the lowest common denominator. There is real value in school uniform, for both children and schools.

Here are seven reasons why the Schoolwear Association believes school-specific uniform should be respected:


1. School Uniform is an important part of a child’s life. A quality uniform can help to give confidence and promote pride and a sense of community.

2. Supermarkets do not sell school uniform, they sell clothes which can be worn at school, at very cheap prices for a short period to get footfall through their stores. There is a very big difference between clothes for school and a properly balanced school uniform.

3. The right balance between school specific and generic is essential, otherwise it is not effective as
a proper school uniform.

4. Respect, for the uniform, for the rest of the school rules and the teachers, is an essential part of the smooth functioning of a School. Sir Michael Wilshaw has made his views very clear on its importance on a number of occasions.

5. Every August and early September, there is a hysteria in the media, which is totally misguided. On the whole Schools and Parents make good choices.

6. The only time any parent has to spend significant money on uniform at Back to School, is for the start of Year 7, when their child moves to secondary school. The cost can be spread over many months by using a Schoolwear Specialist, who is usually a member of the Schoolwear Association.

7. Independent Research has shown that school uniform is great value for money, much cheaper than clothing worn out of school hours, and that the vast majority of parents are satisfied with their School’s current arrangements.

From Our Chair David Burgess

The Schoolwear Association (SA) welcomes the Chancellor's announcement that the DfE Uniform Guidelines will become statutory. Since our inception in 2006 we have been the voice of our industry and we have striven to communicate the complexities of supply in our market. We believe that Mr Osborne’s announcement will create greater certainty for schools when they make decisions to procure proper and fitting school uniform.

We believe that schools generally make sensible and pragmatic decisions about supply, price and the balance of school uniform.

Most people recognise the benefits that a good quality, school-specific uniform confers on a school and its pupils. Research by Oxford Brookes University this summer supported our contention that school uniform usually represents excellent value, not just for the benefits it brings in improved behaviour, learning and child safety but also on parents’ pockets when compared to the cost of clothes that children wear out of school. So we find it disappointing that some pressure groups have quoted inflated prices to make their point and catch a headline that we simply do not recognise as the norm.

The Oxford Brookes University research brings some much-needed balance to the debate and some more realistic figures on the price of a complete school uniform over an average of 100 state schools.
We recognise that we have some way to go to educate and inform those outside of our industry about how it actually works, but we welcome the opportunity.

Both the Department for Education (DfE) and the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) advise us that the instances of real complaints received from parents are small and have continued to fall. We find this reassuring and at odds with the negative rhetoric that we sometimes see broadcast. Of course we understand that when a uniform is specified there is always the likelihood that someone will find issues with it. We recommend schools seek balance in a uniform with a mix of items specific to the school and other items of a more generic nature. Our members’ experience is that most parents are happy with the arrangements of their school. A proper tendering process will help schools to decide the best arrangements for their needs.  

We remain concerned about the plight of children who, for whatever reason, find it difficult to afford school uniform. Our members continue to work with schools and charities to try to assist, and collectively we donate many garments to those in need. We will continue to work with our partners to find ways to ensure that every child, whatever his or her circumstances, has access to a well-made, long-lasting, school-specific uniform. We are issuing advice for our members and schools on best practice in procurement and supply processes to help ensure uniform remains affordable. This is work that we will continue to do, and we will happily contribute to the debate and offer our support to that process with all interested parties.

Our collective experience tells us that school uniform works best when it includes school-specific items. The idea that our children should wear generic uniform available from anywhere would create a difficult situation for schools and lead to the breakdown of this essential part of our school culture. We believe passionately that school-specific uniform is a key part of what gives a school its identity and helps it to maintain discipline and respect. Our research shows that school students, parents, teachers, head teachers and governors overwhelmingly agree.

We will continue to work with partners and other stakeholders to help improve every aspect of uniform supply. Our members commit via our Code of Practice to supply EVERY child. This will include all shapes and sizes and indeed those with special needs such as allergies or disabilities. Dedicated school uniform suppliers will supply uniform for every child who needs it all year, not just at the more lucrative back to school period over the summer holidays.

The Schoolwear Association is dedicated to working with everyone involved in the supply chain to help deliver the best value, which is always a combination of quality, consistency, service, availability and price. We look forward to helping schools with their uniform decisions, in whatever way we can.

David Burgess, Chair of The Schoolwear Association

The Schoolwear Association was formed in 2006 to promote the benefits of school specific uniform and to establish strong standards in the supply chain of garments to parents and schools.

The Association is proud to have in excess of 200 supplier and retail members who pay a subscription to support the work of the Association. The industry has adopted a code of practice and works with schools to further the provision of good school uniform and all the benefits that confers on both the school, and the students. Their members supply 75% of all schools in the UK.