OFT urges schools to help bring down the cost of school uniforms

[Legal Beagles]

The OFT has written to 29,500 state primary and secondary schools in the UK asking them to review their uniform policies as families could save tens of millions of pounds if schools removed restrictions

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[Bill-K]

Re: OFT urges schools to help bring down the cost of school uniforms

The whole idea of school uniforms - as I understood it when I had to wear one - was to eliminate prejudice and class distinction, so the lower-class kid who would have turned up in cheap rags and clogs wasn't belittled by 'Burlington Bertie' who arrived in the best of bespoke attire. In theory, the uniform was supposed to be affordable by all, and thus allowed all to share equal sartorial status - whether they liked it or not.

But, it seems, the idea was self-defeating in the end, because it imposed an unregulated monopoly. A bit of regulation is all that is required here, surely - NOT 30,000 - odd 'begging letters' ??? Removal of restrictions is not the answer, IMHO. The IMPOSITION of restrictions on the uniform suppliers is needed. Sure, there must be incentives for them, too - but not the outright abuse of a badly-policed 'convention' that we have seen thus far.