Their National Policy Manager says directing schools to make uniforms more affordable, wouldn't cost the government anything
A children's charity says the government needs to take action to ensure school uniforms are affordable for all.
Barnardos says all schools should be forced to make low-cost uniforms available.
The organisation is also calling for voluntary contributions to be abolished.
And for a universal scheme for free school books to be included in the budget.
National Policy Manager with Barnardos, Stephen Moffat, says directing schools to make uniforms more affordable wouldn't cost the government anything - but would alleviate pressure on families.
He added: "We think there should be free school books provided to all children. There was a pilot introduced years ago and that seemed to be successful, so that should be rolled out further.
"More pressure should be put on from the Department of Education and the government on schools that uniforms should be more affordable. That wouldn't cost the government a single cent."
