Town hall pledges £85K to help kids buy school uniforms
By Alicia Curry, Local Democracy Reporter
Westminster City council has promised £85,000 towards helping families with the cost of school uniforms as more parents struggle to afford essentials.
In July 2022, the funding was set up as part of a package of measures to help residents struggling with the rising cost of living.
The council has agreed to fund the scheme for another year to help families living in Westminster who have children going into Reception and those already in Year 6 of a Westminster primary school from September 2023, with the Year 6 pupils getting secondary school uniforms for the following year as they make the step up.
Claire Cleary, Deputy Head of Gateway Academy in Capland Street, Westminster, said: “The money from the free school uniform funding has helped parents in lots of different ways.
“For Year 6 the jump in cost for when children go to secondary school is quite high, especially for things like blazers and school shoes, so parents were really grateful that the uniform was already sorted.”
Parents of pupils in receipt of Free School Meals (FSM) starting school for the first time, and those moving to secondary school will be provided with the funds directly from their school.
The extension of the School Uniform Support Scheme starts from September 2023 and will provide £150 towards the cost of a secondary school uniform for pupils who will be starting Year 7 of secondary school, and £31 for children due to start in Reception from September. Parents will need to contact their child’s primary school to receive the grant.
Westminster cllr Tim Roca said: “I’m proud to announce an extension of our school uniform grant funding of up to £85,000 for 2023/24, providing direct support to our most disadvantaged families to help with school uniform costs.
“We know that parents and schools saw a positive change for students in the first year of this scheme, with some reflecting that this help made a real difference for relieving financial stress from parents and for making sure children feel happy to attend school in a new uniform.”
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