David Rees MS backs Education Minister’s call to schools to “make uniforms cheaper” for households

The local Member of the Senedd for Aberavon, David Rees, has welcomed the announcement of new guidance by the Welsh Labour Government, which is designed to help schools ensure that uniforms are affordable, including an end to compulsory school logos. The Education and Welsh Language Minister, Jeremy Miles MS, published new statutory guidance this week following consultation. The new guidance calls for school governing bodies to review their current school uniform policies, with affordability being the priority. It also asks schools to ensure that any changes to uniform policy are fed back to families before the end of the current school term.

In welcoming the announcement, David Rees MS said: 

“Purchasing expensive uniforms should not be a pressure that any household has to face, especially during a cost-of-living crisis where parents and guardians may spend hundreds of pounds each school year on school uniforms for children”.

“Our Welsh Labour Government is doing what it can at present, by supporting many eligible lower-income households across Aberavon with its “School Essentials Grant”. This is the most generous scheme of its kind in the UK, providing families with up to £300 per pupil to purchase school uniforms and essential equipment each year. I know that most of our schools locally are doing all they can to help keep costs down for families and this new guidance from the Welsh Labour Government will help schools to do even more, ensuring all households can benefit”.

“I am pleased with this new guidance and confident that this will have a positive impact on parents, carers, and pupils alike in Aberavon during these difficult financial times”.