Yorkshire peer calls for more action to cut cost of school uniforms

Lord Mohammed of Tinsley, who is Lib Dem spokesperson on education in House of Lords, welcomed government efforts to cut the cost of school uniforms by limiting the number of branded items to three in upcoming legislation.

The government predicts that this will cut the cost of uniforms by £50 per child. The Department for Education said last year that parents pay £442 on average to kit a child out for secondary school, and £343 for primary school children.

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will also bring in guidance about restricting mobile phones in schools, free breakfast clubs and a range of new regulations on children’s welfare and education standards.

Lord Mohammed called in a Lords debate on Monday (Apr 20) for the goverment to monitor its uniform policy, which is set to become law from September.

He urged Labour to look in 12 months’ time at bringing in free uniforms for children who receive free school meals.

The former leader of the LibDem group on Sheffield City Council, who grew up in Tinsley, told peers: “I’m someone who benefited from a policy that David Blunkett brought in.

“When my father lost his job in the steel industry in Sheffield, I was on free school meals. We also were able to go to the local education section and get some clothing for school.

“So, hence why that lived experience is the thing that’s driving me in terms of trying to do the best, for not only young people in Sheffield but across the country.

“Now I absolutely do not doubt that the government is wanting to reduce the cost of the school uniforms and its measure is to reduce the number of items required.

“Mine was to ask for a cap on the cost and as noble Lords may have seen from the amendments we have now tabled, I’ve stopped saying that.

“What I am saying to the government is that at some point in 12 months’ time from implementation, when you have that review, I really hope that you will be willing to at least re-look at the possibilities of a cap.

“But also more importantly for me, going back to that lived experience, is that I want to keep pushing the government to say: okay, how are we going to help and support?

“Because you’re going to limit the cost of school uniforms by potentially limiting the numbers, but there’s still a cost involved.

“And I really want this government, as and when it can – and I really hope once the economy picks up – that it’s able to support every child that’s on free school meals to be able to have some support.

“I really hope when the minister gets up to respond that she may well be able to comment on that.”

Education department minister Baroness (Jacqui) Smith responded: “I’d like to thank the noble lord again for his championing of this issue.

“I know from our conversations how dear this issue is to him and how determined he is to make a difference for the children and families in his hometown and up and down the country, and I admire his commitment to thinking about the various ways in which we can achieve that.

“I want to be clear that we share that aim of bringing down the costs for parents, and particularly those who find it most difficult to afford school uniform.”

Lord Mohammed, who became a peer in February 2025, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that he picked up the issue early on from his arrival in the Lords.

He spoke about his background and receiving free school meals in his introductory speech and said that he wants to help others coping with the cost-of-living crisis.

Lord Mohammed said: “Friends from Tinsley have been in touch, saying they remember going to Leopold Street and getting a Lord Anthony jacket and trousers.

“So many benefited from that scheme.”

He said that Labour peer Baroness Smith called him in for a meeting on the issue after he tabled amendments to the Bill. “She said, ‘I want to know why you’re so passionate about this’.

“I said I don’t doubt your government’s intentions or yours as minister. I want to help and improve policy, not just dealing with it here and now but in future.”

Lord Mohammed said he had been congratulated by many fellow peers and felt they has listened because he talked about his own lived experince.

“There are many lords for whom it might not be a huge issue because they pay to send their children to school. So many have said you’re on to something there.

“That’s why we need a very diverse Chamber with people from all lived experiences.

“I’m learning from Sheffield but using a national platform to do something that benefits the entire country.

“The LibDems have given me the responsibility to deliver on the education brief. I need to exercise that responsibility.”

Lord Mohammed said that he had been lobbied hard by “a small group of very vocal parents” on the issue of banning smartphones in schools. They said parents worried about not being able to contact their children could get them a more simple phone instead.

He said that teachers told him that there was a drop in playground aggression after a group of Y7s were banned from using smartphones. They found that children spent less time on screens at the weekends as well.