MORE than 15,000 children in Bradford have gone to school in incorrect clothing because uniforms are becoming a drain on parents' budgets, a report has found.

A total of 15,754 children in the district have attended school in incorrect, ill-fitting or unclean uniform because of how much it costs.

The annual district spend on school uniform was £21.4 million.

Bradford's figures were the second highest in Yorkshire and the Humber, with Leeds having 18,717 children going to school in incorrect uniform, with £25.4m spent.

In Calderdale, 5,908 children went to school in incorrect clothing, with £8.1m spent.

In Kirklees, these figures were 10,704 and £14.5m respectively.

A report by the Children's Society charity, called 'The Wrong Blazer: Time for action on school uniform costs', found families are spending an average of £251 per year for each child at a state primary school and £316 for a child at a state secondary.

Across Yorkshire and the Humber, parents are forking out an estimated £178m per year on school uniforms and accessories.

The survey of 1,000 parents found 95 per cent of those quizzed believe the amount they are expected to pay is "unreasonable".

Councillor Ralph Berry, Bradford Council's executive member for children’s services, has called for schools to adopt plain uniforms which are more readily available in supermarkets.

He said: "These figures sadden me.

"Many schools in Bradford are making a considered and discreet efforts to help parents in this situation.

"The impact on welfare reform is having a direct effect on families and children.

"This reminds us that we have a serious problem with that in Bradford.

"Many schools offer uniform recycling schemes too.

"It's an on-running campaign of mine, the cost of uniforms.

"They should be straightforward and simple.

"If schools want to have logos on blazers, they need to have one that can be stitched on."

Bradford Council's "necessitous clothing grants" which provide parents with help to buy school uniforms was transferred from the council's control to individual schools offering support from March 31 last year.

Grants are paid in the form of vouchers for £26 to low income households and those on Council benefits.

They are used to buy uniforms from schools or dedicated shops.

Meanwhile, Hanson Academy in Swain House, Bradford took a tough stance over its uniform policy in November last year when 152 children were sent home for breaching its rules on clothing in one day.

Sharron Reynolds said her daughter Jessica, 14, was sent home twice for wearing plain black trainers despite the school having a hospital letter excusing her from wearing standard school shoes because of a foot problem that forces her to walk on tip-toes.

She says she spends £180 each year for uniforms for Jessica and her son Joshua, 13, who goes to One in a Million.

Mrs Reynolds, of Haworth Avenue, Swain House, said: "The cost of uniforms is quite steep each year.

"It's a bit overpriced. It's a lot of money. Everything has to be branded with school logos.

"It's wrong. The uniforms change every year."