Will Labour’s uniform cap hit pupil performance?

It is the perennial question of British politics: who is next in the ministerial sack race? For a while, it seemed, the answer was Bridget Phillipson – the minister waging a one-woman-war on the Tories’ school reforms. But today, the Times suggests that the Education Secretary has been told her job is safe, citing private text messages from Keir Starmer. That means she can press on with her Schools Bill which includes, among other measures, plans to limit the number of branded uniforms items schools can insist on.

This cap is being hailed as a way of keeping costs down – but Mr S wants to know if it will affect pupil performance. After all, as the Bill’s own impact assessment proudly boasts:

The Bill includes two measures that deliver manifesto commitments on free breakfast clubs and limiting the number of branded uniform items that schools can require. This is to support the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity by supporting children to arrive at school ready to learn.