Branded school uniforms costing up to three times more than unbranded alternatives could now be scrapped under a new bill being proposed in parliament.
Labour MP for Weaver Vale, Cheshire, Mike Amesbury is to present a Private Members Bill this week to set the wheels in motion to get a new law passed.
He took to Twitter to say: "This week I will present my Private Members Bill, it will require MPs from all parties to do the right thing for children, parents & carers".
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The proposed law would require schools to specify only basic items and colours, not styles, which means parents can shop around for cheaper items in places such as supermarkets, rather than at specified uniform shops.
The Labour MP's decision to propose the law follows a campaign by The Sunday People.
When Tyla looked into the difference between costs, we saw that schools were asking kids to wear jumpers with school logos that could cost as much as £30, whilst a coloured knit from a supermarket could cost a maximum of £10 - one third of the cost.
The Teaching Times has reported that families with children at secondary school are paying more than £300 per child, per year in school uniform costs on average.
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If you have three children, that means you are splashing out nearly £1k on their uniform needs, something that could be reduced by a third if the new bill is to be passed.
The findings of the investigation by The Children's Society outlined by The Teaching Times, also reported around 220,000 children "have had their school chosen partly on account of the cost of the uniform - something that the School Admissions Code says must not happen".
People are of course backing the idea, taking to Twitter with grateful comments to Mike Amebsury.
One said: "Huge respect for doing this. It's a national disgrace that hard up parents have to fork out hundreds of pounds for uniforms with a logo, when the same kit costs under half with no logo. Smart kids, smart uniform, they don't care if there's a logo. Hope you get this through?"
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Another added: "Let's hope they do Mike. I've long regarded branded uniforms as yet another tax on the poor."
The government did address the issue last September, publishing a response from the Secretary of State highlighting the guidance to schools already in place which urges them to keep uniform costs low and asks them to avoid contracts with single shops in order to benefit financially.
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said at the time: "The guidance is clear that schools should avoid single-supplier contracts, but where schools do choose to enter into such contracts, they should ensure these are subject to a regular competitive tendering process to ensure value for parents.
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"The Government has announced its plan to put the school uniform guidance on a statutory footing and will do so when a suitable opportunity arises.
"This will send a clear signal that we expect schools to ensure uniform costs are reasonable."
Should the bill be passed, the law would mean schools have to follow guidance to help struggling parents across the country.
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