Council leaders have urged schools to provide more help to parents when it comes to buying their children's uniform.
The Local Government Agency (LGA) has called on schools to use two or more suppliers in an effort to keep costs down during the current economic climate.
The new school year starts again next month for over seven million children in state-funded primary and secondary schools in England.
While school uniform items are today sold in some supermarkets for only a couple of pounds, some schools still have uniforms which are only available from specialist suppliers.
A recent survey found 17 per cent of parents could only get their children's schools uniform from a single designated shop or via the school itself.
And guidance introduced two years ago warned schools they could face challenges under the Competition Act if they only used one supplier.
Council leaders have today urged parents to do more to hold their school governors to account for decisions on uniform policy.
The LGA has published a three-point plan today which it claims all schools should adhere to in order to help parents.
The plan includes a requirement for all uniform to be made available from a minimum of two different suppliers, school symbols and logos to be available as sew-on patches and parents given opportunities to buy and sell second hand uniform from other parents.
Cllr Margaret Eaton, chairman of the LGA, said: 'All families will have experienced the annual chore of shopping for the return to school, stocking up on pens and pencils as well as investing in shoes and uniform.
'It's not cheap at the best of times and with a growing number of people feeling the pinch because of the recession it's a bill most of us could use some help with.
'Many councils offer grants to families struggling to pay for uniform, but schools have the power to reduce this burden for both parents and taxpayers. Offering uniforms from a number of retailers and making it easier to attach logos to widely available clothing lets schools keep their individuality while bringing in the necessary competition to keep costs down.'
The Local Government Agency (LGA) has called on schools to use two or more suppliers in an effort to keep costs down during the current economic climate.
The new school year starts again next month for over seven million children in state-funded primary and secondary schools in England.
While school uniform items are today sold in some supermarkets for only a couple of pounds, some schools still have uniforms which are only available from specialist suppliers.
A recent survey found 17 per cent of parents could only get their children's schools uniform from a single designated shop or via the school itself.
And guidance introduced two years ago warned schools they could face challenges under the Competition Act if they only used one supplier.
Council leaders have today urged parents to do more to hold their school governors to account for decisions on uniform policy.
The LGA has published a three-point plan today which it claims all schools should adhere to in order to help parents.
The plan includes a requirement for all uniform to be made available from a minimum of two different suppliers, school symbols and logos to be available as sew-on patches and parents given opportunities to buy and sell second hand uniform from other parents.
Cllr Margaret Eaton, chairman of the LGA, said: 'All families will have experienced the annual chore of shopping for the return to school, stocking up on pens and pencils as well as investing in shoes and uniform.
'It's not cheap at the best of times and with a growing number of people feeling the pinch because of the recession it's a bill most of us could use some help with.
'Many councils offer grants to families struggling to pay for uniform, but schools have the power to reduce this burden for both parents and taxpayers. Offering uniforms from a number of retailers and making it easier to attach logos to widely available clothing lets schools keep their individuality while bringing in the necessary competition to keep costs down.'
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