§ Mr. WhittingdaleTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what estimate he has made of the proportion of maintained(a) primary and (b) secondary schools which require the wearing of school uniform. [159953]
§ Jacqui SmithWe do not collect information about schools' uniform policies. The Government believe that school uniforms can make a valuable contribution to the identity and discipline of schools. It is, however, for school governors to decide whether there should be a uniform, and we believe that this should remain the case.