School uniform costs too high for parents? Have your say (From News Shopper)

School uniform costs too high for south-east London and north Kent parents? Have your say

10:17am Thursday 30th August 2012 in Bexley By Simon Bull

Schools should keep uniform costs as low as possible, the Local Government Association says

PARENTS will be forking out £200 per child for school uniform ahead of the new term, figures show. How do your back-to-school costs stack up?

The Local Government Association says schools have a "moral responsibility" to keep the cost of pupils' uniform down.

It says that families do not have an "endless pot of cash" for new uniforms and is calling on schools to keep costs to a minimum, with the average secondary school uniform now costing more than £200 and primary school uniform setting parents back £160.

Sports and PE kit as well as other school items cost extra.

Mindful of the high number of schools changing their names or identities, the LGA suggests that in order to keep uniform costs down, schools should choose clothing that is widely available, choose logos or emblems that can be bought as sew-on or iron-on patches, pick a colour scheme rather than a full uniform, give parents the opportunity to buy and sell items and use a plain PE kit that can be used for different sports.

How much have you paid out for your children’s school uniforms? Do you think schools do enough to keep costs down? What ways have you found to minimise the expense? Are you even in favour of school uniforms? Add your comments below and vote in the poll.