The government has launched new school uniform guidance, confirming caps on branded uniforms to save parents money.

From September schools must comply with the new legal limits on the number of branded uniform items they can require, allowing parents to buy more of the everyday basics, like trousers and shirts, from any shop or supermarket rather than one pricey supplier.

In addition, after polling found a third of parents still worry about uniform costs, the government is also publishing strengthened statutory guidance telling schools to take more steps to bring down the cost of individual items, especially for more expensive items like blazers and jumpers, in time for the 2027 school year.

The guidance outlines the cost considerations for schools when they are developing and implementing their uniform policies and managing their uniform supply arrangements.

It also covers the legal limit on the number of branded items of school uniform and PE kit that schools can require, the provision of second-hand uniform, and other support available to help with the cost of school uniform. It also gives the information schools should provide to parents about their uniform requirements.

More free breakfast clubs will also be available, with more than 2,700 up and running.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: "No parent should have to choose between a summer day out to the beach and kitting their child out for school.

"From September, families will feel the difference at the school gates: free breakfast clubs at 1,400 more schools, an end to expensive lists of branded uniform, and more free lunches for those who need them.

"That’s the British childhood this government believes in – and why we’ll always fight to give every child the very best start in life."