Families face postcode lottery over help with cost of school uniform, figures reveal

Struggling families are facing a postcode lottery over whether they can get financial help for school uniform costs from their local council, new figures reveal.

Less than a fifth of councils in England choose to offer school uniform grants for low-income families, Freedom of Information (FOI) responses seen by The Independent show.

The general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) Geoff Barton said his union was “not surprised” by the findings, given government funding cuts over the past decade.

Out of more than 130 local authorities that gave FOI responses, 25 had invested in schemes to help struggling families with school uniform costs.

Nearly half were in London. Others include Bristol City and South Gloucestershire councils in the southwest, and Wigan and Stockport councils in Greater Manchester.

No councils further north than York or further south than Bristol offer school uniform grants – which they are not legally obliged to provide. Several central England county councils do not offer them either.

The government recently announced new legal obligations for schools to keep uniform costs down, including taking steps to allow pupils to wear clothing that can be easily bought on the high street.

But Jack Shaw, a local government researcher who compiled the FOI responses, said: “The poorest families in England get a raw deal when it comes to school uniform support.

“Councils are not statutorily obliged to cover the cost of school uniforms, meaning those that do go above and beyond.”

And even where help from councils is available, families face a “postcode lottery” over the level of support on offer.

In Islington and Hackney councils in north London, financial support for school uniforms is only available for year six pupils going into secondary school.

Meanwhile. in West Yorkshire, Kirklees Council funds an exchange scheme that lets children access second-hand uniforms.

Others across England pay cash directly to struggling families in their area to help them with costs.

But 113 local education authorities out of 138 that replied to FOI requests did not have schemes to help their poorest families cover school uniform costs.

“As government funding to local authorities has been massively cut since 2010, we’re not surprised to hear that many don’t cover the cost of school uniforms for vulnerable families,” Mr Barton told The Independent.

The union leader said schools follow government guidance over making sure uniforms are affordable, and many also help disadvantaged pupils financially “in a discreet and sensitive way”.

“This level of need reflects the fact that many young people live in poverty despite the fact that this is a relatively wealthy nation,” he said.

“It is a disgraceful state of affairs and the government must do much more to address the entrenched inequalities in our society and improve the life chances of these children.”

Kate Anstey, project lead at Child Poverty Action Group, said her charity’s research shows school uniform costs “place enormous pressure on struggling families every year”.

“We should follow the lead of all other UK nations and provide national funding to help families in England with school costs,” she said.

Local government researcher Mr Shaw said some local council schemes are also “poorly advertised”, and lack transparency around the application process for families.

“For those reasons, families are likely to miss out simply because they don’t know what’s on offer or how to access it,” he said.

A Department for Education spokesperson said: “We want school uniform to be affordable for all families, and we have just published new, legally-binding guidance for schools across England to keep down the cost of uniform.

“While some schools and local authorities do offer financial support for families’ uniform costs at their own discretion, our new statutory guidance will ensure that uniform costs are kept reasonable for families of all backgrounds, and secure the best value for money for them.”