BACK TO SCHOOL (UNIFORMS)

£3,485 is the estimated average cost of school uniforms for a child over the course or their school life (Reception to Year 11). The cost is equivalent to 4.31 months’ of a mortgage repayment or 3.31 months’ of average rent, although there are substantial regional variations. Across the North East and Yorkshire and the Humber, the total cost of kitting out a child is more than eight times an average monthly mortgage repayment, while across London the cost of two months’ rent is on par with school uniform costs. Across the country, 8.4 million children are predicted to return to primary or secondary school this week, a total uniform bill in the region of £2.4 billion.