Bid to lower school uniform costs in Blackburn and Darwen (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Bid to lower school uniform costs in Blackburn and Darwen

9:20pm Tuesday 16th March 2010 in

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PARENTS could soon be given sew-on school badges in a bid to reduce the cost of school uniforms.

The Blackburn with Darwen branch of the National Union of Teachers, NUT, and the borough council have teamed up to launch a scheme where parents can buy cheaper sweatshirts and tailor them to their child’s school.

The idea would mean parents would not have to obtain pre embroided sweatshirts saving them money in the long run.

Blackburn with Darwen Children and Young People's Trust - a partnership of all organisations delivering services for children and families across the borough – has announced it will consult with head teachers, governing bodies and school uniform suppliers.

Coun Chris Thayne, chair of the trust, said: “It is only an idea at this stage, but we want to see if there is a way of working with schools and suppliers to create badges that can be attached to plain uniforms. Ultimately, the schools would have the final decision.

“This would not replace the discretionary clothing grant allowance, which is currently available to families on free school meals, but would be something additional that would make school uniforms more affordable for everyone.”

Simon Jones, NUT Blackburn with Darwen secretary and executive member, said: “We are concerned about how expensive sweatshirts are with pre embroidered logos.

“They can cost anything over £8. But you can get the same sweatshirts at cheaper prices from Tesco and Asda but then the school badge becomes a problem.

"The cost of school uniforms are a big problem. We have four kids and me and my wife are on professional salaries and we struggle. Children grow out of them very quickly.”

But bosses at Blackburn-based Whittakers Schoolwear Suppliers said the sewed on badges were ugly, prone to coming off and were a step backwards from the embrioded sweatshirts.

John Hutchinson, managing director of Whittakers, said: “Sweatshirts in most supermarkets maybe cheaper but are only in store for six weeks and parents need somewhere to buy uniforms 52 weeks of the year. The products from supermarkets isn’t long lasting. It is false economy, and parents wouldn’t save money in the long run.”