Scottish Greens will cap the cost of school uniforms
The Scottish Greens will cut the cost of the school day by forcing schools and councils to cap the cost of uniforms.
Guidance introduced in September 2024, co-developed by the Scottish Greens during their time in Government, includes a series of recommendations to make school uniforms more affordable, but there are currently no requirements for local councils to actually follow them.
The guidance includes allowing pupils to wear generic items which can be bought at low cost from a range of shops, rather than the common requirement to only use expensive branded items only available from specialist retailers at highest cost, such as blazers with particular braiding designs.
It also recommends that schools should design their uniform and clothing policies on the basis that the School Clothing Grant would cover the cost of all items needed for the school year, plus a reasonable number of spares or replacements.
Proposals brought forward by the Scottish Greens would embed this guidance into law, forcing all councils to implement it and reduce uniform costs.
Scottish Greens co-leader, Ross Greer said:
“Families across Scotland are really struggling with rising costs and bills. One way that schools and councils can support them is by cutting the cost of school uniforms.
“Despite some progress, too many schools still have totally unnecessary rules about their uniforms, including exclusive deals with specific suppliers. The classic example is a blazer with specific braiding, which can often cost more than the rest of a uniform combined and is now mandatory in many high schools.
“I’m proud of the work that the Scottish Greens did to deliver the current guidance, but it's only saving families money at the schools which have actually implemented it. Making it a legal requirement across every school in Scotland would ensure that no family misses out on these savings.
“Taken alongside our delivery of free bus travel for young people, scrapping peak rail fares, expanding free school meals to thousands more children and cancelling all school meal debt, this proposal shows that the Scottish Greens are serious about saving families money.”
