Guidance

School uniforms: guidance for schools

How schools should develop their uniform policy and procure uniform supplies.

Applies to England

Documents

Details

This non-statutory guidance is for school:

  • leaders
  • staff
  • governing boards

The templates support the guidance on procuring uniform supplies.

Schools and their governing boards must have regard to the Department for Education’s statutory guidance on the cost of school uniforms.

The statutory guidance has been updated to include information about:

  • the limit on the number of branded items of school uniform and PE kit that the government intends to apply from September 2026, when the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill receives Royal Assent
  • the actions schools should take now to comply with the limit

Updates to this page

Published 16 September 2013
Last updated 7 November 2025 show all updates
  1. Updated 'Developing school uniform policy' to include new and revised information.

  2. Added guidance on procuring uniform supplies, and accompanying template documents.

  3. Added a link to the Equality and Human Rights Commission guidance on 'Preventing hair discrimination in schools'.

  4. Updated to reflect the new statutory guidance on the cost of school uniforms.

  5. First published.

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