From September branded uniform costs are capped and 1,400 more schools will get free breakfast clubs (Image: Getty)
UK households will be up to £1,000 better off per year thanks to three major schools rule changes.
The savings come from the roll out of 1,400 more free schools breakfast clubs from September, the expansion of free school meals and a school uniform law, which together are expected to give parents up to £1,000 worth of savings. The Department for Education (DfE) this month said that the additional free breakfast clubs, which come alongside 2,700 that are already up and running, will save parents up to £450 annually, while the expansion of free school meals to every household on Universal Credit amounts to around £500 worth of savings per year.
These changes come alongside the introduction of legal limits on the number of branded school uniform items children are required to have, predicted to add another £50 worth of savings. From September, schools must limit the number of compulsory branded items of uniform and PE kit to three or fewer, while secondary and middle schools can have four branded items or fewer, if one is a tie.
The change means that parents can instead buy more of the everyday basics, such as trousers or shirts, from any shop or supermarket, instead of one expensive supplier.
When the rule change was proposed last year, the DfE said parents were having to pay £442 on average to kit out their child for secondary school and £343 for primary school, but the new rules could save parents around £50 per year in their back-to-school shop.
The DfE has now published “strengthened statutory guidance” telling schools to take more steps to bring down the cost of individual items, particularly more expensive pieces of clothing like blazers and jumpers, in time for the 2027 school year.
Confirming the cost saving measures earlier this month, now former Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “No parent should have to choose between a summer day out to the beach and kitting their child out for school.
“From September, families will feel the difference at the school gates: free breakfast clubs at 1,400 more schools, an end to expensive lists of branded uniform, and more free lunches for those who need them.
“That’s the British childhood this government believes in – and why we’ll always fight to give every child the very best start in life.”
The DfE said these measures build on the “biggest ever expansion of funded childcare” which now saves families using their full 30 hours an average of £8,000 per year per child.
Additionally, the government is cutting VAT from 20% to 5% on children’s meals in restaurants, children’s family tickets for theatres and cinemas, and tickets for family attractions this summer, with the reduction in place from June 25 until September 1.
This comes alongside free bus travel for children aged five to 15 in England throughout August as part of government measures to ease the cost of living.