Looking for comments on high interest school uniform fees for The Sun

School uniform loans are the wolf in school-logo fleece. Parents are already being hammered by compulsory blazers, PE kits and shoes, so pushing high-cost credit at them is a brutal answer to a basic family need. A £200 loan costing £336 over 28 weeks is not a helping hand, it is a very expensive plaster on a household budget wound. These products are usually far worse than mainstream borrowing because the APR is eye watering, the customers are often already financially stretched, and the loan is tied to something parents feel they cannot say no to. There may be extreme cases where borrowing is unavoidable, but this should be the absolute last resort after checking school support, second hand uniform schemes, local grants, credit unions or family help.

School uniform is compulsory; borrowing at 667.94% APR should never feel like the normal way to pay for it. Cockle’s own example turns £200 into £336 over 28 weeks, £136 charged to a parent simply because they cannot pay upfront. That is the poverty premium, dressed up as help. This is far worse than mainstream borrowing. Credit union rates are legally capped at 42.6% APR across England, Scotland and Wales, while some parents may qualify for council or school support, grants, payment plans or second hand uniform. Could there ever be a reason to use it? Only as an absolute last resort, where the uniform is urgently needed, every cheaper option has failed and the repayments are genuinely affordable. If repaying it means cutting back on food or energy, or taking another loan, it is not solving the problem it is moving the crisis to next week.