PARENTS have voiced their frustration after a school insisted students wear new trousers and skirts available from just one supplier – and costing double that of high street items.

Richmond School and Sixth Form College has informed parents of the new uniform rules, leaving them with little choice but to pay up for the expensive clothing

Paula Thwaite, from Richmond, said she was furious at the ruling – and dozens of parents have agreed with her Facebook post after the letter went out this week.

Mrs Thwaite said: “The trousers and skirts will have a tiny logo which will be covered by the students’ jumpers anyway.

“They will also cost twice the amount of identical items from high street supermarkets where I normally buy the uniform for my two boys.

“It will cost me £18 per item compared to £10 in Tesco.

"I’m working but I have been a single mother and I know how hard it is to keep everything going. For some people, especially those with more than one child at the school, this will be too expensive.

“It already costs £67 for the jumpers and PE kit, which are all compulsory."

She added: “To me, there’s no benefit. It isn’t going to help the children to learn and the logos will not be visible. I think it is wrong and unfair.”

In a letter to parents, headteacher Jenna Potter said: “As you know, Richmond School prides itself on its high standards and excellent results. Partly, our expectations are embodied in our smart uniform.

“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 trail around shops and potentially disagree with their child regarding what is suitable and what is not.

“The trousers will cost from £15.50 for a high-quality, hard-wearing, ecologically-created product, which is only marginally more expensive than typical high-street costs for similar trousers and the skirt from £14.50

“We are changing because we waste valuable staff time chasing students where the trousers and skirts do not match the uniform guidelines and therefore are not uniform. There is some peer pressure on girls in particular to conform to sub-groups with their uniform and we wish to eradicate this.”