It’s a perennial problem that rears its head at the start of every school year. Students need new school uniforms to see them through the summer and winter months, but parents and social commentators lament the expense for low and middle-income families.

In some cities it can cost more than $800 for a full secondary school uniform by the time blazers, shirts, skirts, shoes and PE equipment emblazoned with the school logo is purchased, Prices differ between schools, but for families with two or more children requiring uniforms it can be a daunting expense.

Many schools chose to engage in an exclusive contract with a uniform manufacturer, which enables the school uniform to have unique designs, fabrics, colours and monograms. This has the benefit of making students recognisable when competing at sporting events or taking part in events outside the school grounds.

However, parents often baulk at the high cost of these exclusive uniforms and want as much choice as possible when it comes to price. They argue that it is unfair of schools to require they purchase a monogrammed school shirt at a cost of around $40 when a similar shirt on the high street costs half that. This is especially so in primary schools where children are growing and a shirt that fits in the first term may not fit by the start of the fourth when students are expected to wear summer uniforms again.

To ensure schools act fairly, and do not breach The Commerce Act by only offering uniforms through a single supplier, the Commerce Commission has issued guidelines that schools should follow when they enter into arrangements for the supply of school uniforms.

Commerce Commission director of competition Deborah Battell says buying school uniforms represents a significant cost for parents.

"While exclusive arrangements can provide benefits for schools, such as rebates of gifts to support school activities, they also reduce parental choice and can result in increased prices."

On the flipside, however, Battell says exclusive arrangements can also achieve consistent quality and design. "A single supplier may also ensure efficiency of production which may result in lower prices."

The guidelines advise schools to take into account both the benefits to the schools and the price of the uniforms and to take particular care where there is an exclusive supplier arrangement.

If schools do choose to offer their uniform through a single supplier, there are a number of ways they can help alleviate the stress parents face when they have to pay out significant amounts of money for a uniform.

If the school operates its own uniform shop, offering a range of good quality second-hand uniforms can help to keep the cost down for struggling families.

Parents whose children have outgrown their uniforms can donate items for the school to on sell at cost, or alternatively the school may operate a sell on behalf arrangement, where the parents set the price and the school take a 10 per cent cut of the sale price.

A common problem for schools that offer this service, however, is the condition of the uniforms offered for sale. Some donated uniforms have rips, tears or stains that make them unsuitable to on sell and items may not have been drycleaned before being presented for sale.

Those schools that do not have their own uniform shop may choose to operate a second-hand uniform register to put buyer in touch with sellers, or may hold uniform sales in the school hall at the end or beginning of the new school year.

It can also be helpful to pointing parents to second-hand clothing website such as Trademe and secondhand.co.nz and remind them that charity shops in some cities may stock good quality school uniforms.

Although school these days want to have a good image and promote their school brand through the uniform the students wear, schools do need to consider whether the cost of a new uniform is prohibitive to some families.

REF: schoolnews Issue 10 Term 2 2010, www.schoolnews.co.nz