The wearing of school uniform is an important part of setting standards and discipline for children, and it should remain an integral part of the education of children.

But it is of equal importance that children are not stigmatised because their parents cannot afford the correct uniform, and in areas where there is widespread deprivation that can be a major issue.

Which is why Bradford Council needs to think very carefully before scrapping the £4650,000 a year it spends on grants which help parents to buy school uniforms.

It is considering scrapping these grants as part of its £3.2m cuts to youth services, and instead looking to schools to help those families struggling to pay the full cost of uniforms.

Among the Council’s suggestions are asking schools to design cheaper uniforms, which may not be as simple as it sounds, or encouraging them to offer ‘hand me downs’ to help poor families, an idea that could be fraught with difficulties.

It is also suggested that money from the pupil premium could be used to fund grants, but that relies on the school itself deciding that is the best use of that particular resource.

No one envies Bradford Council the tough decisions it is having to make in terms of spending, but parents already face a huge financial burden in trying to ensure their children get the best education.

Reducing the level of support to families at the lowest end of the income scale, as this proposal would surely do, no matter how it is dressed up, will make that task even more difficult.

And councillors must think long and hard before agreeing to it.