Catherine has condemned the Government for ‘failing families’ on keeping down the costs of sending children to school.
Responding to a question on the cost of living, Catherine said: “Of all the concerns raised by parents in response to the most recent National Parent Survey by Parentkind, the cost of school uniforms, trips and food came up the most…our [Labour’s] free breakfast clubs in every primary will put money back in parents’ pockets whilst improving school attendance and attainment. We’ve done the Government’s homework, yet they’re still failing families. So, will it take a Labour Government to give children the chances they deserve?”
Catherine’s intervention comes as the charity Parentkind showed that 2.8 million children live in households that are struggling with the cost of sending them to school, with 50% citing school uniforms as a key issue.
Tackling child poverty is at the core of Labour’s mission to break down the barriers to opportunity for all and includes plans to introduce free breakfast clubs in every primary school in England and cut the cost of branded items of school uniforms parents are required to buy.
Following her intervention, Catherine commented:
“Under the watch of successive Conservative Governments, there are now the highest number of children growing up in poverty in the UK since records began.
“Poverty deeply impacts a child’s education and life chances and only Labour has a plan to address it.
“In Government, Labour will tackle the problem head on, putting money back into families’ pockets and delivering excellence for every child across the country.”