Parents to vote on school uniforms

Parents of children attending up to four thousand schools are to be balloted on whether they want their schools to have a crested uniform, a cheaper generic uniform, or none at all.

Following complaints that parents were not consulted by boards of management and often had no option but to purchase expensive crested uniforms, Education Minister Ruairi Quinn said empowering parents to determine uniform policy was the most effective way to tackle school costs. A questionnaire will be circulated to schools by the end of this month, and Mr Quinn wants any changes to be implemented by the start of the 2014 school year.

Parents will be asked to vote on a series of options: