www.images-magazine.com OCTOBER 2026 images 21 INDUSTRY ISSUE IS In September, the Schoolwear Association updated its members on the new government ministers overseeing education, as well as government-issued press releases that mentioned school uniforms. The association noted that over the summer, the new prime minister, Andy Burnham, had replaced Bridget Phillipson with Lucy Powell as secretary of state for education, and Olivia Bailey had been replaced as minister for early education by Paul Waugh, who is now responsible for school uniform policy. It highlighted that Lucy Powell, who had previously been the shadow education secretary and a member of the Education Select Committee, which scrutinises the work of the Department for Education, has already been supportive of the uniform cap. Paul Waugh was previously a journalist, becoming an MP in 2024, and is said to have “a long-standing interest in tackling poverty and reducing costs for families”. “He also has recently said that the ‘moves to make school uniform more affordable should help with the cost of living.’ We can therefore expect him to take a particular interest in whether the uniform cap is successfully driving down Schoolwear Associationupdates Catch up with the latest news in the schoolwear world costs,” commented the Schoolwear Association. The organisation says it will be reaching out to both Powell and Waugh to seek introductory meetings. “We will use this as an opportunity to build relationships with the new education team, and to explain why the school uniform cap is actually going to increase, rather than decrease, costs for struggling families across the UK, alongside having broader negative impacts on schools and families. We will keep members updated on these discussions and continue to ensure that the schoolwear sector’s views areeffectively communicated to the government.” Government comments on the school uniform cap At the beginning of September, the government put out two press releases about the school uniform cap, which came intoeffect on 1 September, and the new guidance. “The first highlighted the government’s broader plans to ease school costs, including the expansion of free school meals, breakfast clubs, government funded childcare, and the school uniform cap,” the Schoolwear Association explained. “The second announced that the government plans to update the school uniform guidance later this year. It says that under these plans schools will be expected to seek out uniform suppliers whichareoffering payment plans, and to review supplier arrangements at least every five years, meaning they should regularly reconsider whether their existing uniform supplier continues tooffer the best option for families. However, as members will be aware, the existing statutory guidance already says that contracts should be re-tendered every five years. “We are monitoring these proposed changes closely and will seek further clarity from the government on exactly what the updated guidance will mean for schools and their suppliers. In particular, we will work to ensure that any new expectations around contracts, payment plans and supplier arrangements are practical and take account of how specialist schoolwear retailers operate.” The association added: “We remain concerned by the language the government continues to use about the policy and the industry, in particular where they have referred to families being ‘at the mercy of rip-off uniform suppliers’ and claimed that the cap will make uniforms cheaper. We will continue to directly push back against language which unfairly characterises the industry and mis-sells to families what the cap will actually achieve.” imagesmag.uk/SAnew-govt The Schoolwear Association is reaching out to the new education ministers to discuss the uniform cap
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