An education stealth tax goes like this:
- Children must attend school
- Children must wear school uniform
- Pay up, or else!
When schools insist on clothing with logos, they increase prices. The government says this is unacceptable. (see Addendum). But they didn’t tackle the cost of school blazers. Blazers are an expensive item of compulsory school clothing. Havering’s parents pay excessive amounts for blazers, which are a relic of a by-gone era.1
To save researching all 18 of Havering’s schools I reviewed six, which is a good sample. They are in alphabetical order.
Abbs Cross blazer costs between £38:50 and £41:50; Bower Park: £37:50-£45.50; Drapers: £35:50-£43.99; Emerson Park: £32-£45; Gaynes: £38.50-£41.50; Hall Mead: £34-£40.
Havering has nearly 18,000 secondary students. Wearing blazers is compulsory. A heroic estimate, based on experience, says students need three blazers in their school years. The Havering blazer ‘bill’ is huge. There are a variety of prices but let’s assume an average price of £40.
Compulsory school blazers is a £2,160,000 ‘tax bill’
Two million pounds plus requires an explanation when it’s claimed to be as important as attendance. So, what do schools say?
Abbs Cross “…all students to be in full school uniform and be suitably dressed for P.E., Games and Swimming.4
Bower Park “We insist on the following simple, but smart, uniform for all students at the academy.”5
Drapers “There is no compromise on the uniform. Parents are asked for their unwavering support in transforming standards at every level.”6 (my emphasis)
Emerson Park We have a smart and practical uniform which must be worn during school hours and when pupils travel to and from the Academy….whilst also presenting a good image of the Academy to the community.7 (my emphasis)
Gaynes They list ten items of clothing, which are compulsory. Additionally, there are 49 words of *guidance* on hairstyles. The *guidance* can be summarised as, “If we don’t like it, you can’t do it”. There is no explanation for any of this.8
Hall Mead The Academy has a strict policy on school uniform. This policy should be read in conjunction with the Academy’s Behaviour and Attendance Policy, as disciplinary sanctions may be imposed for breach.9 (my emphasis)
It’s absurd to believe that any teacher who has stepped outside the school gates for 30 seconds can believe that blazers are anything other than an oddity. For them to also believe that blazers are critical to learning, compounds the absurdity. Yet, Havering’s schools do believe blazers are very important. They enforce their absurd beliefs with ferocious penalties. (see note 6 for the penalties Drapers school inflicts.)
Havering’s schools are locked in a performative tautology. Blazers are compulsorybecause they are. Blazers are co-equal with attendance in the eyes of senior management.
Addendum: Statutory advice on school uniforms
Single supplier contracts should be avoided unless regular tendering competitions are run where more than one supplier can compete for the contract and where the best value for money is secured. This contract should be retendered at least every 5 years….Schools should keep the use of branded items to a minimum. (my emphasis)
Source Cost of school uniforms – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Notes
1 Schools often provide access to second hand uniforms.
2 Abbs Cross Academy – SCHOOL UNIFORM DIRECT For the other five schools just follow the links on their websites
3 Havering has 17,951 secondary school students
4 Uniform – Abbs Cross Academy
6 Uniform – Drapers’ Academy see also Policy Title: p7 Internal Exclusion Room The Internal Exclusion Room (IER) is used as an alternative to external suspension. Pupils work for one day or more, determined by SLT, and complete their classwork in a separate supervised environment. They have a shortened supervised break and lunch at a different time to other pupils. (my emphasis)
Drapers use the Internal Exclusion Room to enforce discipline. Students are punished by having their educational opportunities reduced. Uniform is seen as co-equal with nine other infractions: Point 3: Arriving to school in incorrect uniform and refusing to address this.
Politics in Havering 
In any class, there will be children of rich and poor parents. The rich will wear designer clothes and be ultra smart and trendy, whereas the poorer kids will be not so smart. This is a cause for bullying. Poorer parents then have to kit their kids out with more they can afford and which is more than the cost of a school blazer. It’s not called uniform for nothing.
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Bullying has many causes and uniform might (might) be mitigating factor. There is no need for a logo or a tailored blazer which adds to the cost. Uniformity can be achieved in a far cheaper way. Being obliged to spend money at a shop which is tied to a school is an open invitation for cost inflation.
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You are assuming no educational benefit from wearing a uniform and so conclude compulsory uniform wearing is a ripoff, but do parents agree and if not what can they do about it as nearly all schools have become self-governing Academies outside local authority control, removing democratic accountability?
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There couldn’t be an educational benefit from wearing certain clothing otherwise all children wearing uniforms would benefit and they clearly don’t, Compulsory uniform means that parental decision-making is a non-event. Academies are just part of a herd and they all do the same thing.
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