The extent of the gap emerged as legislation to help parents afford uniforms progressed through Parliament this week.
The bill states that primary schools can have a maximum of three branded items, and secondary schools can have four – if one is a tie.
But Avnee Morjaria, of the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), urged schools to take the discrepancy between girls’ and boys’ costs “into consideration” when choosing which items to brand.
“Schools and multi-academy trusts should take this into consideration when choosing which items of clothing to brand if this legislation passes.”
For secondary-age students, girls’ uniforms were priced at £289.04, £22.90 higher than for boys, who were charged £266.14 on average.
The survey also reveals that girls’ skirts or kilts cost an average of £19.21 when bought via a specified shop, while boys’ shorts cost £10.37 and unisex trousers cost £13.21.
When these items can be bought from anywhere, the discrepancy lessens or disappears completely, however. The i Paper‘s analysis shows that items purchased from a designated shop are an average of 47 per cent dearer than those that can be purchased anywhere.
Sarah Bone, headteacher at Headlands School in Bridlington, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, said there “needs to be equality”, adding: “If there is a disparity in cost between girls and boys, I do not believe my governing body would support that,” she added.
Ms Bone said it was vital for the uniform to be “both accessible in terms of finances and practical in terms of being able to be washed and not ironed.
“Uniform should not be a barrier for children attending school. Once you put a price tag on it that’s expensive, and once you say it has to be presented in a certain way – ie it needs ironing and it needs hanging – then it becomes a challenge, certainly for some families.”
‘My son’s branded uniform cost £200 so I bought it second-hand’
Debbie Binnersley managed to save moneyA mother-of-two said she bought her son’s uniform via the local uniform exchange as the branded items alone cost around £200.
Debbie Binnersley, 47, from Leeds, has an 11-year-old daughter in a primary school where most of the items can be bought from the high street, and a 13-year-old-son who recently needed a new uniform for starting secondary school.
She works in the uniform exchange so knew she would be able to get a good deal, but said: “It would have been something I’d have had to pull together.
“It would have cost around £200 on all the things with logos. My issue is with PE kit as so many children lose it. If the PE kit gets left behind it costs £14 to replace it.”
She said the local secondar has unisex trousers for when her daughter starts, meaning she will not have to pay for an expensive skirt.
Ms Binnersley said that decreasing the number of branded uniform items would “reduce some of the barriers” to school attendance for many low-income families.
“By saying parents have to have all these items… [schools] are creating barriers for some of the families from low incomes that aren’t able to afford things if they’ve lost something,” she said. “I think keeping [branded items] to a minimum is the best way forward.”
Current statutory guidance states that schools should consider how the cost of their uniform might affect each group represented at the school.
The 2023 Cost of School Uniforms Survey shows that prices were £75 per year higher for parents of secondary-age children who had to buy two or more items of uniform than a specific shop, averaging at £283.90.
However, Manny Botwe, headteacher of Tytherington School, Macclesfield, said decisions on branded items should be left to school leaders who can balance affordability and school identity.
My brother went to private school and I didn't - here are the differences we saw
Read More“My concern is that you might have unintended consequences. If you completely move away from branded items you could have a scenario where youngsters are more interested in buying the latest fashion trends.
Mr Botwe added that school leaders are “best placed to make decisions” and pupils and parents at his school were “really supportive of uniform”.
Once the legislation is passed, the school will have to reconsider the skirt as well as the logos on PE kit, Mr Botwe added.
She said England was the only home nation not to provide financial support for worse-off pupils for uniforms.
“There is help with school clothing costs in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales whereas in England only some local authorities provide assistance.”
“Enacting any uniform requirements which would see items being significantly more expensive for girls than for boys would clearly run counter to this.
“Parents should have a choice over where they shop, so they can control the cost of uniforms, allowing all children to achieve and thrive.”
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