Parents' going without meals to afford school uniforms

Parents in England are skipping meals and turning to "buy now, pay later" services such as Klarna in order to afford school uniforms before the autumn term, according to a survey.

- Sally Weale

Forty-seven per cent of the 2,000 parents who took part in the poll said they were worried about uniform costs, which can run into hundreds of pounds owing to expensive branded items, while 29% said they had forgone food or heating to pay for uniforms.

The survey by the parenting charity Parentkind showed struggling parents being forced into debt. Forty-five per cent of those polled planned to use credit cards to pay for their children's school uniform and 34% said they would rely on Klarna-style delayed payment services.

The education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, urged schools to help struggling parents by reducing as a matter of urgency the number of branded items of uniform that pupils are required to wear, before a forthcoming change in the law.