MoneySavingExpert reveals parents can get up to £200 a year FREE towards school uniform costs | The Sun

THOUSANDS of parents could get up to £200 a year to help with school uniform costs, according to MoneySavingExpert.

Depending on where you live, you could get between £67 and £200 for one child's uniform.

As the cost of living soars, households are scraping the barrel for ways to earn free cash and support when paying for essentials.

Thankfully, residents up and down the UK could be entitled to free cash grants towards school uniform – and you won't need to pay the money back.

How much you get depends on where you live, as each council decides the amount for themselves, but low income families should be able to claim support through their local council website.

Here's what we know for each area in the UK.

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Scotland

As part of the Scotland School Clothing Grant, Scottish households could claim up to £150 for one child.

There are two cash payments available:

• £120 per child of primary school age
• £150 per child of secondary school age

You need to apply via your local council, which you can find using the government locator tool. You'll just need to put in your post code.

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You might be able to get more money depending on your local council and what other grants they offer, but £120-£150 is the minimum.

You'll also need to double check when exactly when you can apply – for most it's between July until the end of March next year.

To be eligible, you'll need to prove some kind of financial hardship which might require a recent bank statement.

Otherwise, it might help if you receive tax credits, like these:

• Income support
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance

Most councils will be making the payment soon – so we'd recommend calling up to get a clear idea if you're applying for the grant.

Northern Ireland

In Northern Ireland, the school uniform grant comes from the Education Authority.

Grants are worth up to £67.20 per child, but it depends how old they are and which school they go to.

You can apply for the scheme here – if you apply for a school uniform grant, you might also be entitled to free school meals.

To be eligible for either, you'll need to prove one of the following again:

• Income Support
• Income Based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Income Related Employment and Support Allowance
• Guarantee Element of State Pension Credit

You'll need to complete a proof of benefit letter if you DON'T receive tax credits or Universal Credit. You can find the form here. It should take about five days to be sent to you after you request one.

Afterwards, just upload a copy to your school uniform/free school meals application. There should be a section asking for it.

Wales

All councils in Wales offer up to £200 towards school uniform per child.

The "Pupil Development Grant" is funded by government and then allocated by local councils.

Pupils currently eligible for free school meals can apply for the grant of £125 per pupil, and upto £200 for students entering Year 7.

Families who are eligible for free school meals can submit a respective claim if they have a child in:

• primary school from reception to Year 6
• secondary school from Year 7 to 11.

Families are only entitled to claim once per child, per school year.

All "looked after" children qualify for the grant, whether they receive free school meals or not.

The Welsh government's website said funding for the 2022/23 academic year would open in the summer and to apply for the grant you must contact your local authority.

Meanwhile, funding for the 2021 to 2022 scheme will close on June 30.

England

There are selected councils which offer school uniform grants in England, with different amounts available each.

They are as follows, listed with the maximum amount available to claimants:

• Barnet – £100
• Bolton – £30
• Bristol – depends, you'll need to call up for clarification
• Bury – £50
• City of London – £150
• Cumbria – £100
• East Riding of Yorkshire – £40
• Enfield – £30
• Greenwich – £100
• Hackney – £100
• Hammersmith and Fulham – £79
• Haringey – £60
• Hounslow – £60
• Islington – £150
• North Lincolnshire – £30
• Nottingham – £40
• Rotherham – £30
• Sandwell – £25
• Southwark – £45
• Stockport – £40
• Tower Hamlets – £110
• York – £100

You'll be able to apply for most on the council website. A selected few are distributed to eligible families automatically, though, so it's worth phoning up to check whether that's the case.

What if you're not eligible for a grant?

There are some other options if you live in an area where you're not entitled to a uniform grant.

For example, you can always try approaching your nearest Citizens' Advice branch.

If you don't know where your nearest Citizens' Advice branch is, you can use its branch locator.

You may also be redirected to a local charity, including the Salvation Army, where you can buy clothes.

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Failing that, you can always approach your child's school.

Sometimes they might be able to sell you a uniform that has been used before at a reduced rate.

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