SCHOOL UNIFORMS AND THE GET IT 4 SCHOOL PROGRAMME

Early day motion 545, tabled 11 December 2007 by Austin Mitchell (Labour). Signed by 39 members.

That this House recognises that many parents and teachers consider there to be a link between school uniform and improved pupil performance and behaviour; notes with concern the findings of the recent Office of Fair Trading review of the school uniform market which found that exclusive arrangements between schools and uniform retailers were inflating uniform prices and costing British parents more than £45 million per year; welcomes guidance for governing bodies on their responsibilities relating to limiting the expense of uniforms; further welcomes the contribution of the Get it 4 School programme which works with schools to establish individual online shops for the supply of customised, low cost uniforms to students and their families; further notes that by breaking local monopolies the programme has reduced the cost of some items by as much as 50 per cent.; further recognises that Get it 4 School takes no operating profit from the enterprise; congratulates those involved on raising more than £61,000 for the schools involved; further notes that this money can then be used to further reduce the cost of uniforms; and calls on the Government to investigate further opportunities to reduce the cost of school uniforms to low income families through support for such programmes.

Signatures by party: Labour 24, Liberal Democrat 8, Conservative 5, DUP 1, Social Democratic and Labour Party 1.