25 signatures reached
To: Secretary of State for Education, The Rt Hon Justine Greening MP
Prohibit School Uniform Monopolies
Prohibit schools requiring parents of children educated at local authoritory expense to buy school uniforms and other items from the school or its appointed suppliers.
Why is this important?
State education of school age children is supposed to be free at point of use. Even simply imposing a uniform has the effect of making parents pay a fee to claim the "free" service but some schools go further and abuse their position.
By requiring uniforms be bought from the school or its appointed suppliers, schools create a monopoly. Parents are prevented from shopping around competing suppliers so are forced to pay excessively high prices. The system is wide open to corruption as schools are able to charge suppliers for the privilege of being the appointed supplier.
Children of impoverished parents, who cannot afford the uniform, are penalised either by being denied an education or put into isolation. Parents are sometimes forced to choose between providing food for their families or buying a school uniform.
Uniform rules are also often sexist in that they impose stricter requirements on members of one sex than they do on members of the other.
