A despairing mum has said she was brought to tears by her daughter's uniform bill with the support grant not going far enough to help vulnerable families.
The single mum told Belfast Live that more support is needed to help struggling families with the costs of uniforms, particularly those with children in secondary school, as the support grant only helps to cover a fraction of the cost of their school clothes.
She said that she has recently been buying uniforms for her two children, one who is in primary school and another in secondary school, and while the primary uniforms were a manageable price, she said that seeing the bill for the secondary clothing almost brought her to tears.
Read more: Lisburn clothing swap aims to help local communities during cost of living crisis
The mum also said she cannot understand why the support available for those living in England or Scotland is almost double what is available to families in Northern Ireland.
She said: "The help offered to parents with the school uniform support grant just does not go far enough to help people who are struggling and I cannot understand why we do not get the same level of support as families do in England, Scotland or Wales. Our grant is roughly half of what is available to them.
"I have recently bought my daughter her first uniform for secondary school and before the price of the PE kit is included it is already costing me more than £200. I honestly could have cried when I received the bill and saw the price.
"While it is easier to get uniforms for my other daughter in primary school, as it is easier to get items in Tesco and M&S for them, when it comes to certain items for secondary schools it feels like they have you over a barrel and the £76 grant doesn't come close to covering half of the costs.
"With all of the other expenses going up at the minute I just don't know how some families will be able to cope."
The Department of Education has said that it is currently undertaking a review of the Free School Meals and Uniform Grant and the minister has agreed to uplift the grant by 20% for the 2022/23 year.
A Department of Education spokesperson said: “The Department is undertaking a Review of Free School Meals and Uniform Grant eligibility criteria and the Minister agreed, as an interim measure, to uplift the current rate of Uniform Grant by 20% for 22/23 year, as a contribution to the actual costs of uniforms pending the outcome of the review.
“The review is considering a number of options for free school meals and uniform grants, including the removal/adjustment to current thresholds for Universal Credit/Working Tax Credit as well as the potential to legislate on uniform policy. The review is expected to conclude in early 2023.
“The Minister is very aware of the financial pressures on families at this time and has made it clear to schools that every effort should be made to ensure school uniforms are as affordable as possible, in line with the department’s guidance on this issue.”
A spokesperson for the Education Authority said: "The rates of Uniform Allowance for the 2022/23 school year have increased by 20% compared to the 2021/22 year.
"The day-to-day management of schools, including school uniform policy, is a matter for school Principals, subject to any directions that might be given by the Board of Governors.
"Guidance is given to schools by DE to ensure that their school uniform policy is fair and reasonable, in practical and financial terms."
Independent East Derry MLA Claire Sugden has welcomed a review into grant eligibility for school uniform costs, saying the criteria should be broadened in order to help more parents with rising prices.
She said: “Rising school uniform prices is a significant issue in Northern Ireland, particularly for families with multiple children in different schools.
“A full uniform, including PE kits, and with numerous sets for use throughout the week, means paying for them can run into hundreds of pounds.
“If a family is just outside the current eligibility criteria – for instance, is not receiving benefits – then they receive no support. Even a sliding scale of support based on household income would improve many families’ situation.
“Many schools now require specially designed and branded PE kits – given these are rarely seen outside the school it seems like an unnecessary demand on parents. Stigma can be created if parents cannot afford complete kits, and pupils may avoid participating in school teams as a result.
“Lots of schools hold second hand uniform sales, but this is not a consistent or sustainable way to deal with the issue of uniform costs. I welcome the 20 per cent increase in grant support, but this will not extend beyond those already eligible.”
Ms Sugden urged individual schools – who are solely in charge of stipulating what uniforms must be worn by pupils – to do their best to keep costs down for families. In the long term, however, a government-set ceiling price for uniforms could be necessary.
She said: “Creating a ceiling price for uniforms would bring peace of mind to parents and ensure every child can attend school in the prescribed uniform.
“Legislation has already been passed for England on this. Doing the same for Northern Ireland would uphold the main reason for having uniforms in the first place – to ensure all children can attend school as equals and in a way that does not compound any financial hardship being experienced by families.”
READ NEXT:
- Meet the NI women connecting social media influencers with the business world
Belfast student using her own diagnosis to change the future for others
Young NI entrepreneur breaking down barriers for children with autism
Young NI entrepreneur who turned University project into unique business idea
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here. To sign up to our FREE newsletters, see here.
