Our First Formal Complaint to a School

We recently posted on our socials that we will be starting to make formal complaints to local schools who are still not offering preloved school uniforms for sale affordably as required under the Cost of School Uniform Act (2021). This is following numerous attempts we have made to contact these schools informally and offers of support in setting up preloved provisions, and on the advice of the Department for Education who have confirmed to us that despite the legal expectations that schools should ensure uniform is affordable, they do not police the issue.

This week, following our first formal complaint about a school, we had a really positive chat with the academy trust that runs the school about the importance of making uniform affordable, the shocking statistics from our surveys of how many families struggle with the cost of school uniform and the need for practical, inclusive uniform policies.

They’ll be responding to the complaint formally in the new year, but it was great to finally feel heard after four years of trying to communicate with the school.

We really want to foster positive relationships with schools and support them to help families so formal complaints are a last resort for us, but if it means families finally get the help the law says should be available then in our opinion it’s worth it ❤️