Low-income parents could claim up to £135 for children’s school uniform from local council
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For parents who are feeling the pinch, the expense of kitting out your kids for the start of a new school year can be burdensome.
But did you know that you could be eligible for a grant to help with the costs?
Under the Education Act 1996, local authorities are able to provide financial help to families on low incomes to assist with buying school clothing for their children.
And that means families claim up to £135 towards school uniform costs for their children, The Sun reports.
And, considering dressing children during their school years sets parents back an average of £6,543, the extra help is very much needed.
The grants, which typically apply to maintained schools, colleges for further education and sixth form colleges can even extend to help with non-uniform clothing such as PE kits and shoes.
However, providing such help is not a statutory duty for local authorities so whether you get financial aid or not completely depends on your council.
So, how do you know if you’re eligible?
Your best bet is to contact your child’s school or local authority but as a general rule, these kinds of grants are available for people on a range of benefits such as job seeker allowance, income-related employment or support under the national asylum seekers support system (NASS).
Parents whose annual income is less than £16,190 also qualify but this can be dependant on your child’s age or the type of school they are attending.
According to The Sun's survey of 14 councils, including 10 London boroughs, the amount low-income parents can claim also varies across the UK with grants ranging anywhere from £45 up to £150 for those whose children are moving to secondary school.
However, some councils don't give any school clothing grants at all but don't fret because there are other options.
Alternatively, Citizens Advice say that some charities give grants to parents to help with the costs of education but you should keep in mind that they do tend to have very specific criteria which must be met in order to receive any aid.
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