Sociology in the News: School uniforms logos could be scrapped in Wales

School uniform logos could be scrapped in Wales under plans to ease the financial burden on families.

The Welsh government will discuss whether schools should drop their logos altogether, or use iron-on logos (which will be free of charge). This move would enable families to buy uniforms much more cheaply.

Uniform and appearance policies are set by school governing bodies. Currently the Welsh government guidelines state that only one item should have a logo – but most schools don’t stick to this. In fact, my own daughter started high school today and her uniform cost around £200, including a blazer, PE hoodie, t-shirt, shorts, and leggings that all had the school logo on, although admittedly not in Wales.

According to a survey by the Children’s Society, the average annual cost of school uniform in the UK is £337 for secondary school pupils. Parents believe this is unreasonable and that really it should be a third of that.

Parents and carers struggling to meet the cost of school uniform are eligible for grants, linked to eligibility for free school meals. However, education charities warned last week that there are over 800,000 students up and down the country who don’t qualify for FSMs, yet the current cost of living has meant their families are struggling financially.

The Welsh education secretary, Jeremy Miles, has even written to headteachers this week asking for leniency over branded items, and is looking into financial agreements that schools have with school uniform suppliers. However, headteachers claim this has come too late as most parents have already purchased uniform

Read the full story here - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-...

And don’t forget to scroll down and have a look at the video clips about Lisa Watkins from Caerphilly who has set up a uniform exchange – https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/...

And read about the free school uniform bank just over the border at Bridgenorth Library – https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-...