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Adding Up Campaign With Reference to Kensington & Chelsea. Sandra Cuningham & Keith Usher Kensington Citizens Advice Bureau. Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea. It is the richest local authority in the country There is the perception that all the Borough’s residents are rich
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Adding Up Campaign With Reference to Kensington & Chelsea Sandra Cuningham & Keith Usher Kensington Citizens Advice Bureau
Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea • It is the richest local authority in the country • There is the perception that all the Borough’s residents are rich • 80% of employees work in the service sector • Life Expectancy: 10 year gap between those in the least healthy and the most healthy wards
Why The Bureau Is Concerned About School Uniform Costs? • Citizens Advice’s national campaign “Adding Up” • Bureau noted a number of clients seeking grants for school uniforms in a Borough that has no history of giving such grants • Significant number of these clients had multiple debts, the majority of whom were referred to our money advice project • Holland Park School only allows uniform to be bought from their own shop at higher cost than high street shops
What Has The Bureau Done? • Survey carried out December 2009 of all schools in the Borough about school uniforms and associated school costs and availability of second hand uniforms and information on school trips • 22 out of over 30 schools responded • Some schools have a part-uniform policy i.e. trousers can be bought on high street. Usually primary schools sell their own t-shirts/sweatshirts • Holy Trinity has its school uniform available on the high street and also has a hardship fund at the discretion of school governors, so a positive policy • It seems that the primary schools have the more flexible policy • All those that commented on school trips said that all trips were educational and essential • Some Head Teachers wished to be kept up to date with our campaign
What Is The Bureau Currently Doing? • Working with the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea and the Kensington & Chelsea Social Council • Making others aware of the DCSF School Uniform Guidance – which states that school governing bodies are responsible for whether their school should have a uniform policy. School governing bodies are expected to behave reasonably, considering the impact of their policies on parents and pupils