Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026

35 School uniforms: limits on branded items

(1) The Education Act 1996 is amended as follows.

(2) In the italic heading before section 551A, omit “Costs of”.

(3) After that italic heading insert—

“551ZA School uniforms: limits on branded items

(1) The appropriate authority of a relevant school in England—

(a) may not require a primary pupil at the school to have more than three different branded items of school uniform for use during a school year;

(b) may not require a secondary pupil at the school to have more than three different branded items of school uniform for use during a school year (or more than four different branded items of school uniform if one of those items is a tie).

(2) Where the relevant school is a middle school, the limits mentioned in subsection (1)(b) apply in relation to all pupils at that school.

(3) For the purposes of subsection (1), a pupil is required to have a branded item of school uniform for use during a school year if the pupil is required to have it—

(a) for general use at school (or for travelling to or from school) during that year, or

(b) to participate in any lesson, club, activity or event facilitated by the school during that year.

(4) “School uniform” means a bag and any clothing required for school or for any lesson, club, activity or event facilitated by the school.

(5) An item of school uniform is “branded” if—

(a) it has the school name or school logo (or for an Academy, the school or proprietor’s name or logo) on or attached to it, or

(b) as a result of its colour, design, fabric or other distinctive characteristic, it is only available from particular suppliers.

(6) In this section—

• “the appropriate authority” means—

  (a)

  in relation to an Academy school, an alternative provision Academy, a non-maintained special school, a city technology college or a city college for the technology of the arts, the proprietor;

  (b)

  in relation to a maintained school, the governing body;

  (c)

  in relation to a pupil referral unit, the local authority;

• “relevant school” means—

  (a)

  an Academy school,

  (b)

  an alternative provision Academy,

  (c)

  a maintained school,

  (d)

  a non-maintained special school,

  (e)

  a pupil referral unit, or

  (f)

  a city technology college or a city college for the technology of the arts,

  other than where established in a hospital;

• “primary pupil” means a pupil receiving primary education (or receiving education that would be primary education if it were full-time education);

• “secondary pupil” means a pupil receiving secondary education (or receiving education that would be secondary education if it were full-time education);

• “maintained school” means—

  (a)

  a community, foundation or voluntary school, or

  (b)

  a community or foundation special school;

• “non-maintained special school” has the meaning given by section 337A.”

(4) In section 551A (guidance about the costs of school uniforms: England), for subsections (5) and (6) substitute—

“(5) In this section “the appropriate authority” and “relevant school” have the same meanings as in section 551ZA.”