A PARENT has told a headteacher she would take the North Yorkshire school to court over new uniform rules.

The woman, who did not want to be named, said parents of students at Stokesley School had been told they must buy all uniform from a new supplier at around £15 per item – which she said would hit parents on low incomes hard.

She said: “We have been told that the new uniform changes is working well at Richmond School, as the two schools are both part of the Arete Learning Trust, but Richmond has not adopted the changes yet.

“We have been told the clothing is better quality, but when teenagers grow very quickly and need new trousers in the school year, the cost goes up and up.

“The trousers and skirts from the school shop are around double the cost of most supermarket options – and surely black trousers are black trousers?”

She said she was now prepared to take the school to court because she had had no response from governors about her concerns that some parents will not be able to afford the clothes, and therefore discriminating against them.

She said: “If they can’t afford the uniform then they could be forced out of the school – and every child has the right to an education.

“Teachers should not be worrying about uniforms, they should make sure they deliver a high standard of teaching to all children.

“This is discrimination and I am prepared to take it to civil court.”

A letter to parents at Stokesley School said: “Currently, our uniform policy indicates that parents should buy school trousers and skirts from our uniform supplier or source an exact match from another retailer.

"From September 2018, we are removing the option for students to wear an exact match and all uniform will need to be bought from our supplier. We have worked closely with the manufacturer to ensure the trousers and skirts are of a high quality, and also a style that young people will want to wear including slim fit options.

“Having spoken to groups of parents, they also believe that it will make their lives easier in terms of not having to potentially disagree with their child regarding what is suitable. We are also confident that most uniform will be at the base prices.”