What does the pledge mean?

Under existing statutory guidance schools are required to “keep the use of branded items to a minimum” and “ensure that their uniform is affordable”.

However, the guidance does not set a limit on the number of items of branded uniform schools can require.

According to a Department for Education (DfE) report published last year, the average cost of school uniforms and PE kits for the 2023/24 academic year in England was about £442 for secondary school pupils and £343 for primary school pupils. The report, which was based on a survey of parents, also indicated that schools on average required two branded items per primary school pupil, and three for secondary school students, although over 10% of parents said they needed to buy five or more.

Labour’s manifesto pledged that limiting the number of branded items would reduce the “cost of school”.

So we’re measuring progress towards this pledge based not only on whether schools have been required to limit the number of branded items, but also on whether data subsequently shows the average cost of school uniforms has reduced.

This pledge applies to England only, as education is devolved in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

What progress has been made?

We are currently rating this pledge as “in progress”, because while the government has introduced legislation to limit the number of branded items required by schools, it’s too early to know how this will actually impact the cost of school uniforms once in effect.

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, which is currently progressing through Parliament, would limit the number of branded items a primary school can require to three, while middle and secondary schools will be able to require a maximum of four if one of those is a branded tie.

Labour has said on social media that this change will come into effect in September 2026, although this presumably depends on the bill’s progress.

In April 2025, the DfE said while savings would vary depending on school and uniform supplier, parents of pupils at schools that have to remove at least one branded item could save on average around £14 per primary pupil and £19 per secondary pupil.

However, the Schoolwear Association has questioned whether the change would have a measurable impact on uniform costs, saying it could lead to parents “replacing cheaper, poor quality uniform garments on a more regular basis”.