Young people are failing to turn up for school because parents are embarrassed at being unable to afford to replace outgrown uniforms, campaigners say.
Families are also using loan sharks to finance uniforms amid mounting calls for more to be done to tackle the cost of kitting out kids for school. Details of the desperation faced by some people emerged after Education Minister Michelle McIlveen announced an increase to the school uniform grant.
The move has been welcomed, but with those at the coalface of dealing with increasingly desperate families saying more needs to be done to help people struggling to make ends meet.
