For many parents, school uniform costs are a source of surprise and irritation. For growing numbers, however, the costs - which can run into hundreds of pounds a year - are a cause of anxiety and stress. And there can be little or no help on offer.
The dilemma facing low-income families can be so great, according to a report out today, that some are now turning down places at schools of their choice because they cannot afford the extra £25 cost of a blazer, or a £15 pullover emblazoned with the school colours. Others are sending youngsters to their preferred school only to discover their child is being teased and stigmatised for not having the full uniform.
The report comes from the Family Welfare Association (FWA), a charity which provides help with essential items to families living on the breadline. It says it is being overwhelmed by requests for help with school uniform costs.
For lone parent Tessa Carter, the high cost of uniforms is a burden she can barely cope with. Six weeks ago, her 10-year-old son, David, lost his school pullover. He has since been going to school in just a shirt.
"I hate it, but there is nothing I can do," Carter says. "David starts a secondary school in September and I cannot afford to buy him a jumper which he will wear for just a term. I still don't know where I'm going to find the money for his clothes for his next school."
According to the FWA report, Carter's experiences are far from unique. Three million children are in families dependent on benefits, and a further 1.5m live in households on low wages. Many families may survive on just £3 a head a day for food, laundry and hobbies. With most schools now requiring pupils to wear uniform, some parents are said to be going without food to pay for the clothes and equipment their off-spring need.
The social fund, which awards loans or sometimes grants to families for items of urgent need, specifically excludes school uniform costs on the basis that providing such help is the responsibility of local education authorities (LEAs). But not all authorities do offer help, and those which do, cover only part of the cost.
The FWA is demanding that school clothing allowances be provided by all LEAs - and wants a new legal obligation on authorities to provide help. The charity is calling on the government to encourage governors to opt for low-cost uniforms obtainable from chain stores.
Such help would be a huge boon to parents like Carter, who lives in Slough and earns £100 a week as a childcare worker. Last September, she was devastated to discover that she had to provide a uniform not just for David, but also for her three-year-old daughter, Megan, who was about to start at the same school's nursery.
"Getting the right uniform through the school is really expensive. But thankfully I was able to get hand-me-downs for Megan. However, she only has one jumper and one pinafore. So I have to keep washing them all the time."
Carter says teachers do not seem to realise the difficulties parents like her face. "The headmaster has been on at my son because he hasn't been wearing a jumper. He has asked him why I don't care what happens to him. David moans at me, saying he is being picked on and I have to write letters to the school.
"There are other times when I have patched his trousers until I can afford new ones. And the teachers have just gone on at David for being scruffy."
Helen Dent, FWA chief executive, says urgent action is needed. She is horrified at the range in costs, even in state schools. In one of the worst examples, a woman was told her daughter would need a different uniform for each year of a much-respected secondary in Brighton.
"Every August, we are being inundated with requests for help with buying school uniform," says Dent. "We must spend tens of thousands of pounds helping people buy shirts, skirts or trousers. Other charities are also facing requests. This shouldn't be the case for such a basic need."
Today's report, Grants for School Uniforms, is based on cases seen by the FWA over a two-week period last year. It shows that the average cost of uniform, including sports kit, bought at a chain store for a boy entering primary school is £92 and for a girl £114.50. This rises to £156.50 for a boy and £157 for a girl about to start secondary school.
These costs are repeated every year as children outgrow their clothes, or items need replacing because of wear and tear. However, they are likely to be far greater for parents who choose to send their children to church or single-sex schools, which have their own branded identity. On top of a pair of trousers or skirt, shirt, socks and school sweatshirt or pullover, such schools may demand a tie, blazer, specific shoes and an overcoat.
Parents seeking grants from LEAs face a "geographical lottery", according to the report, which shows that 29% of LEAs do not pay under any circumstances. A further 6% provide grants only in exceptional circumstances, meaning that more than one in three authorities is unlikely to offer any help.
Those LEAs which do offer grants often only help parents who are out of work and on benefits. Only a minority consider grants to families on low incomes. And for the fortunate parents who do receive help, the grant covers at best only half the actual cost of equipping a child for school.
Dent stresses that it is not a question of whether there should be school uniform, which, she concedes, is liked by many parents and children and seen as a leveller. "What we are concerned about is the impact on morale," she says. "A lot of bullying goes on from not wearing the right clothes or having hand-me-downs. People are very sensitive to that if they are poor."
"The government has said it is keen to tackle bullying and child poverty. If it is serious, it must make sure children cannot be distinguished on the basis of poverty. That means making it a statutory responsibility for LEAs to provide uniform grants which must be a realistic amount. We also want school governors to be told that uniforms need to be cheap, simple, readily available and easy to wash. At the moment poor families have no alternative but to go to charity. That cannot be right."
All change
When Kevin Sansom fell down a flight of stairs at the power station where he worked, the resulting back injury had unforeseen consequences both for him and his family.
The 42-year-old cold plant operator from Gillingham, Kent, was earning £14,000 a year. This was cut to £56 a week statutory sick pay plus income support. As a result, his wife, Wendy, could not afford new school uniforms for their three children, Gary, 16 and Troy, seven and Tia, five.
Wendy Sansom says: "Everything has changed. The accident happened about 14 months ago, and my husband has spent most of that time in a wheelchair. He had an operation in October and he can now stand, but he can only walk with crutches.
"Money was tight before the accident, but now it is a real struggle. I have to work out what bills are most urgent and plan in advance. Last year was particularly hard as Gary was still at school. We could only get his school uniform from one shop. A jumper alone cost £25.
"This year we are still buying for the two youngest children. Although they go to a school where uniform isn't compulsory, all the children wear it. I buy the clothes second-hand and I will buy them two or three sizes too big. I hate having to do it, but it's the only way. Scratching around is very depressing. Having a school uniform grant would make life much easier."
Grants for School Uniforms is available at £7 including postage & packing from the FWA, 501-505 Kingsland Road, London E8 4AU (020-7254 6251).
