There are options if you are looking for cheaper options for school uniforms, and some families can get a grant to help them pay for school uniforms.
Local authorities sometimes offer a school uniform grant to low-income families, but the support varies depending on where you live.
We have rounded up everything you need to know about where you might be able to find a school uniform for cheap and getting support to cover the costs of school uniforms.
Whether you can access a school uniforms grant depends on your local council. Some authorities across the country offer financial support to help families pay for school uniforms and clothing.
If you are based in England, you can check the government’s website and click on ‘contact your local council’ and enter your postcode to see if you can get a school uniforms grant in your area. You can also contact your local authority directly to see whether you can get a school uniform grant or any other support.
End Furniture Poverty has a Local Welfare Assistance Finder so you can find out what support your local council offers in times of crisis.
All councils across Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland offer some form of grant to cover uniform costs. But whether you are eligible and the amount of money you will get depends on your postcode.
All councils in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own version of a school clothing grant.
In Northern Ireland, there is a clothing allowance scheme, which helps low-income families with children in primary, post-primary and special schools.
A uniform grant can pay £42.90 for a primary school pupil, £61.20 for a post-primary or special school pupil under the age of 15, and £67.20 for a post-primary school pupil over the age of 15. It will also cover £26.40 for a post-primary and special school PE kit.
Families in Scotland may be able to get help through a school clothing grant. It’s normally a cash grant paid directly to your bank account. Check whether your local council offers help (and how much) by selecting your council from the dropdown menu on the Scottish government’s website.
Low-income families in Wales can get help through the schools essentials grant. It’s intended to cover the costs of school uniform, IT equipment, stationery and school bag, PE kit, and specialist equipment for subjects such as design and technology.
Families can get £125 per student, and £200 for those beginning Year 7 because of the increased costs of starting secondary school. Families on certain benefits are eligible – usually, if your child is eligible for free school meals, they will also be eligible for the pupil development grant. Check your local authority’s website to see if you can apply.
The 2024 to 2025 scheme is now open and will close on 31 May, 2025.
If your local council doesn’t offer grants to cover school uniform costs, or if you are not eligible, the next step is to contact your school for help. Many schools offer support – including grants of their own, vouchers, or discount schemes. Most have second hand sales, where you can get uniforms for a fraction of the price of new clothes.
Other than school second hand sales in schools, Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree and eBay are packed with plenty of cheap second hand school uniforms – keep an eye out for a bargain deal. It’s worth trying charity shops in your local area too.
Supermarkets also have deals on uniforms. For example, at Aldi and Lidl, you can often get school uniform bundles at a highly-discounted rate at the end of the school holidays, just before it’s back to school time. At Asda and Argos, you can get school uniform items from £2 and £3 respectively.
Charities offer grants through the year to help parents cover the costs of school. Grocery Aid has a school essentials grant, for example, which is closed for now but you can sign up for their newsletter for future grants updates.
Buttle UK has Chances for Children grants which can help cover the costs of school uniforms, but the charity only accepts applications for grants from frontline professionals – such as a registered charity, housing association or public sector organisation. It’s worth getting in touch with your local authority or school to see what grants they might be able to refer you to.
There are benefits to help families cover the costs of raising a child. You can use the Turn2us benefits calculator to find out what you might be entitled to.
More help may be available through charitable grants to help you with the costs of sending your kids to school. Turn2us have a grants search where you can find out the grants available to you.
Family Fund considers grant applications to help families with a disabled or severely ill child to help with costs. They work with gift card company Park Group to provide grants if a child or young person has additional clothing needs.
Your grant can then be used in a select group of stores including TJ Hughes, Matalan, River Island, Schuh, Schuh Kids, TK Maxx, Shoezone, Go Outdoors, Edinburgh Woollen Mill, Marks & Spencer, Foot Locker, New Look, Peacocks, Blacks, Millets and the Original Factory Shop. You can check if you meet the eligibility criteria on Family Fund’s website, which also has details about how to apply.
The Fashion and Textile Children’s Trust has a grant to help low-income families working in the UK fashion and textile industry who are struggling with the cost of going back to school. This includes people who have worked in high street clothes shops, in laundrettes and supermarkets with clothing lines.
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