Education Act Guidance...
The new Education Act guidance is a clear endorsement of school uniform and schoolwear retailers – it is good news for our industry but communication to parents and schools is critical.
The Headlines
• Uniforms are beneficial to students, parents and schools. • Sole supply agreements are good for service and year round availability. • Uniform should be affordable and accessible to all. • Schools should consider the number of compulsory items. • Contracts over a *specified value should be tendered every five years. * The DfE are expected to provide more guidance over contract size, but we anticipate that a large contract will be defined as one over the threshold for other public procurement contracts of £189,000 during their lifetime i.e. £37,800 per annum over 5 years. Contracts below this value would require a less formal process but would still require documentation from a prospective provider.
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The Department for Education unambiguously supports school uniform and all of its benefits.
