New national school clothing grant

Thousands to benefit from minimum £100 grant.

An estimated 120,000 families will benefit from a new £100 national minimum school clothing grant in Scotland as a result of partnership working between Scotland’s Local Authorities and the Scottish Government.

It means for the first time all eligible families, regardless of their local authority area, will have access to the same minimum level of financial support for school clothing.

The scheme will open in time for the 2018/19 academic year with eligibility determined at a local level.

Overall annual costs are expected to reach £12 million with 50% of the cost met by additional Scottish Government funding and 50% met by individual local authorities.

The grant will be reviewed every two years to ensure that the amount available remains in line with cost of living.   

Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills John Swinney said:

“Every child in Scotland should be able to attend school feeling comfortable, confident and ready to learn.

“We know that school uniforms can be a considerable cost for families which is why we have worked in partnership with COSLA to introduce a new national minimum school clothing grant.

“It will help relieve pressure on families, reduce costs of living and remove the stress and stigma which can often be associated with struggling to afford essential school items.”

Councillor Stephen McCabe, COSLA’s Spokesperson for Children and Young People, said: 

“School uniform can be a significant cost to families and COSLA are delighted that, together with Scottish Government, all councils will be introducing an increased minimum school clothing grant across the country.

“Every child in Scotland deserves the best chance in life and for too long poverty has blighted the life chances of too many of our children and young people.  Access to decent clothing is an important part of ensuring children have the best chance of getting the most from their education.  Therefore it is only right that we do the best we can to create as much of a level playing field as we can in terms of school uniform.  

“Scotland’s councils are committed to making the learning experience as positive as possible for our young people.  Today’s announcement is another step in the right direction towards achieving this aim.”

Background

School Clothing Grants - Allocation of Additional £6m Funding

   
 

Additional Funding for School Clothing Grants (£000s)

Aberdeen City

                   179

Aberdeenshire

                   153

Angus

                     99

Argyll & Bute

                     47

Clackmannanshire

                     88

Dumfries & Galloway

                   162

Dundee City

                   255

East Ayrshire

                   179

East Dunbartonshire

                     36

East Lothian

                     98

East Renfrewshire

                     29

Edinburgh, City of

                   336

Eilean Siar

                        7

Falkirk

                   201

Fife

                   456

Glasgow City

                 1,031

Highland

                   195

Inverclyde

                   112

Midlothian

                   121

Moray

                     70

North Ayrshire

                   289

North Lanarkshire

                   511

Orkney Islands

                     10

Perth & Kinross

                     73

Renfrewshire

                   219

Scottish Borders

                     91

Shetland Islands

                     15

South Ayrshire

                   113

South Lanarkshire

                   358

Stirling

                     65

West Dunbartonshire

                   189

West Lothian

                   210

SCOTLAND

                   6,000

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