HUNDREDS of parents of secondary
school children in
Hampshire are missing out on
cash help to buy expensive
new school uniforms.
School uniforms can cost
hundreds of pounds a year
with compulsory items including
blazors embroidered with
the school crest and bespoke
sports kit.
Hampshire County Council
gives school uniform grants
worth £61.25 per pupil to lowincome
families eligible for
free school meals.
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Last year the council gave
out £133,000 in uniform
allowances to 2,200 pupils, but
600 eligible children didn't
apply. This meant £40,000 earmarked
for uniforms went
unspent.
There is no statutory obligation
for local education authorities
to provide grants for
uniforms.
But children's charities have
said poorer pupils risk being
stigmatised, bullied or even
excluded from school because
their parents can't afford all
the required items.
Winchester Citizens Advice
Bureau has been surveying
local schools on their uniform
policies.
Lesley Rose, a CAB advisor,
said: "There are quite a lot of
schools which insist pupils buy
uniforms from their own shop
which quite often is more
expensive than the high
street."
She said there could sometimes
be a stigma to receiving
free school meals but the low
take-up of the uniform grant
suggested not enough people
knew about it.
She said: "The issue is how
to let more people know so
they can access help."
Hampshire gives allowances
to pupils in year seven - when
children start secondary school
- as well as years nine and 10.
A county council spokesman
said: "Entitlement is publicised
in a booklet sent to the
parents of all Hampshire
pupils in year six in maintained
schools, and we would
expect schools to make sure
that the parents of year nine
and year 10 pupils are aware."
She said details of uniform
grants were also listed on the
council website, while forms
for parents to fill-in were available
in primary and secondary
schools.
The council said historically
the school uniform budget was
underspent as some eligible
low-income families did not
take up free school meals or
claim the uniform allowance.
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