School ties and blazers could be banned from schools as they open in September to stop the spread of coronavirus.
Some schools have already issued guidance to parents banning certain items because they want children in freshly washed clothes every day - and blazers can't be washed that often, reports the MEN.
It comes as a bill is already going through Parliament to change school uniforms, ditching branded items with school logos which families struggle to afford.
The two combined could well mean schools ban branded uniforms altogether.
And while some parents will be happy about the move, some MPs are not happy about the threat to uniforms.
Conservative MP Andrew Lewer, the chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Independent Education, says traditional school uniforms 'at risk of dying out'.
He told The Telegraph : "Covid-19 has already gravely disrupted the schooling of children right across the country.
"The last thing we want to see is it now striking at one of the great traditions of British schools, distinctive uniforms worn with pride by pupils at 90 per cent of our schools.
“As health experts such as Professor Linda Bauld have pointed out, the coronavirus risk from a school blazer or tie is minimal.
“Unlike hospitals, where staff have to change and wash their clothes every day, schools are places where the risk of transmission is extremely low.”
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The bill going through Parliament calls for pupils to wear only unbranded clothing such as plain white shirts and grey trousers or skirts to keep the costs down for parents.
One school has already written to parents stating coronavirus and cost as reasons for banning blazers, shirts and ties from September.
Tina Smith, headteacher of Beckfoot Oakbank School in Keighley, West Yorkshire, said unbranded polo T-shirts and jumpers would be encouraged to 'keep costs down' and because of coronavirus, The Sun reported.
In a letter to parents, she wrote: "DfE guidance (which we have followed throughout) states that blazers and ties are not encouraged as it is recommended that students and staff come to school each day in full clean clothes in the interest of safety for all.
"Washing a blazer or a tie, or even washing and ironing a clean shirt daily is not realistic."
Another asked parents to send their children back to school wearing comfortable clothes such as T-shirts, hoodies and tracksuit bottoms when it reopened earlier this month.
Studies found that coronavirus can live on surfaces like clothing or towels for up to 72 hours, so parents are being asked to wash any clothes that kids have worn to school daily.
The NHS website states: "All underwear, towels and household linen should be washed at 60C (140F) or at 40C (104F) with a bleach-based laundry product to prevent germs from spreading."
It also urges people not to leave laundry in the washing machine, saying that 'any remaining germs can multiply rapidly' and advises people to wash their hands thoroughly after handling dirty laundry.
