School uniform and clothing guidance: equality impact assessment

Background

In 2021, the Scottish Government committed to introducing guidance on school clothing and uniform with the aim of reducing costs for families and addressing equalities issues related to clothing and uniform policies. A public consultation which sought views on school uniform was undertaken between May and October 2022.

The consultation provided an opportunity to influence the development of national policy and guidance on school uniform. It asked for views on uniform policy, including what should be included within the guidance, the role that school uniform plays in day-to-day school life, how best to reduce the cost of school uniforms, and views on draft principles that could be incorporated into national guidance. There were 2,751 responses to the consultation. Of these responses, 2,670 responses were submitted by individuals whilst 81 were submitted by organisations. There were a wide range of organisations represented with responses from local authorities; individual schools; school uniform banks; anti-poverty campaign groups; the independent school sector; school uniform suppliers; third sector organisations and pupil and parent councils.

The overall themes from the consultation were: affordability and cost, equalities and inclusion, sustainability, scope and compliance. Further information about the Scottish Government’s consultation is available at this link: School uniform: consultation analysis - gov.scot (www.gov.scot).

Views on school uniform were also sought from pupils. The Children’s Parliament engaged with over 100 children, aged between 6 and 11 from 3 primary schools across Scotland. A number of themes emerged from this engagement. These can be summarised as comfort, cost, identity, choice, safety, consequences, and gender. Information from the consultation carried out by the Children’s Parliament is available at this link: Consultation on National School Uniform Guidance - Children's Parliament (childrensparliament.org.uk).

Following the consultation, a working group was established to support development of guidance on school uniform and clothing. The working group considered evidence from the consultation and engagement, alongside other sources to help inform and shape the guidance.

Responsibility for school clothing and uniform policy usually sits with individual schools. The purpose of the guidance is to support headteachers, school leaders and education authorities to work collaboratively with pupils, parents and carers, and teachers and school staff to put in place affordable and sustainable polices that support an inclusive and equitable culture which recognises and celebrates difference and promotes a welcoming and comfortable environment for pupils. This will support schools to address unnecessary barriers to participation and engagement of pupils in school education. Aligned to broader policies which support action to tackle child poverty and achieve the aims of Net Zero, the guidance will support families by reducing the cost of school clothing and uniform and promote sustainability by reducing waste and encouraging the reuse of clothing.