Households will get up to £9,000 per year back under Andy Burnham’s government as a new September law change come into force.

The savings come from a new school uniform law, combined with the rollout of 1,400 more free school breakfast clubs, the expansion of free school meals from this month, plus access to 30 hours of government-funded childcare per week, which together gives parents around £9,000 worth of annual savings. From September 1, new rules now cap branded uniform items at three for primary school pupils and four for secondary. The change means that parents can buy more of the everyday basics, such as trousers or shirts, from any shop or supermarket, instead of one expensive supplier.

When the new rules for uniforms were first proposed last year, the Department for Education (DfE) said parents were having to pay £442 on average to kit out their child for secondary school and £343 for primary school, but the changes could save parents around £50 per year in their back-to-school shop.

Schools will now be expected to seek out suppliers offering payment plans and to review supplier arrangements at least every five years, so families aren’t left paying whatever one supplier chooses to charge.

The tougher rules make clear there are no excuses for schools dodging the limit, whether by listing an item as optional with no affordable alternative, or pressuring parents into costly branded sports kits.

Announcing the changes this week, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said: “The cost of sending your child to school has got out of hand, and parents are rightly fed up. School uniforms shouldn’t be charged at luxury prices when they’re everyday essentials. That’s not right.

“I’ve listened to parents and alongside the cap on branded items that came in this week, I’m going further to change the rules. We’ll close loopholes and make sure schools shop around for suppliers and consider payment plans.

“This is one of our everyday fixes to stop families paying over the odds, give them the breathing room they deserve and help to bring back hope across the country.”

The new uniform rules come alongside further support for families launched this week, including free school meals for every child in a household claiming Universal Credit. According to the government, this will benefit at least 500,000 more children and save families £500 per child per year.

September also kickstarts the launch of more than 1,400 extra free breakfast clubs in schools, taking the total to over 2,700 clubs nationwide. This change is estimated to benefit more than 680,000 children, saving families £450 and 95 hours per year.

Additionally, eligible parents of children aged nine months to school age can access the full 30-hour government-funded childcare hours per week from the start of the autumn term, resulting in savings of up to £8,000 a year per child.

This is alongside parents being able to access more than 9,000 childcare places from September 2026 through the school-based nursery programme.

In total, these changes from September amount up to £9,000 worth of savings for families, with Mr Burnham saying the series of ‘everyday fixes’ will help make life fairer and give people room to breathe.

Dan Paskins, Executive Director of UK Impact at Save the Children, added: “The Prime Minister is right to go further to push schools to work with suppliers, recognising the pressure the cost of uniform has put parents under.

“Financial concerns should never impact a child’s education and these announcements will help ensure more children can focus on learning instead of being worried about food at school and having the right uniform.”