School uniform grant: How to claim up to £150
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HARD-UP parents face a postcode lottery when it comes to getting financial support with school uniform costs for kids, a Sun investigation has found.
Some councils, such as Islington, pay up to £150 to parents to help with the cost of buying uniform for the new school year.
Whereas others will pay just £25 - or don't offer free cash support at all.
The Sun looked into 25 councils in England to see how much they pay to parents and found 15 will offer the grant.
While 10 said they no longer offer the grant or never have.
School uniform grants, which are issued under the Education Act 1990, can only be claimed by parents on low incomes or certain benefits.
But years of cuts have reduced the budgets of some councils who have had to pull their grants entirely, meaning parents could miss out on up to £150 a year, simply due to location.
The act is not a statutory duty in England so it's up to the discretion of councils, meaning a postcode lottery for parents.
It's different in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, where councils are required to offer assistance - in Wales school children can get up to £125, and Scottish pupils are entitled to at least £100 in support.
In Northern Ireland, primary-age pupils can receive £35.75 towards uniforms and PE kit, secondary school kids under 15 can get £73, and kids in school over 15 can get £78.
But bear in mind they often have a limited amount of money to give and usually have specific criteria which must be met in order to get a grant.
Sasha Evans, money expert at MoneySupermarket said: "If there’s no requirement for you to buy official uniform from a specialist supplier, supermarkets should be your first port of call: they’re often much cheaper than school suppliers.
"Aldi continues to offer a uniform bundle for just £4.50 and includes two polo shirts, one round-neck jumper, and either trousers or a skirt.
"Once you’ve bought all your uniform, be sure to label everything so your child doesn’t lose belongings – replacing lost items is an added expense which you could do without."
Last year struggling parents who worked in supermarkets during the pandemic could apply for a £150 grant to help with the cost of school uniforms too.
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If you do manage to secure one of the grants then there are ways to make the money you receive go further, with the cheap options retailers have available.
Parents are sharing their tips too, with one mum explaining how she nabbed a blazer from as little as £2, so it’s worth joining forums to discover tips to bag cheap uniform too.