All the help parents can get with costs as kids go back to school – including £200 school uniform grant
SEPTEMBER is here, which means it’s back-to-school time for millions of families across the UK.
But the new term can be very costly for parents, between shelling out for uniforms and school shoes to looking for wraparound care for your kids if you work full-time.
The good news is that there are loads of benefits and grants that can help lower-income families weather the storm.
For instance, parents who receive Universal Credit might be eligible for free school meals, discounted or free travel and even free childcare hours.
We have rounded up all the key freebies and discounts on offer that can help you save thousands of pounds heading into the new school year below.
Free school meals – £460
If you’re on certain benefits, you might qualify for free school meals for your child. According to a study from the Institute for Fiscal Studies, a year’s worth of free school meals is worth around £460 per child.
The benefits that should mean you’re eligible include:
- Income Support
- income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- the guaranteed element of Pension Credit
- Child Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
- Working Tax Credit run-on – paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
- Universal Credit – if you apply on or after 1 April 2018 your household income must be less than £7,400 a year (after tax and not including any benefits you get)
If you live in England, you can check whether you qualify by simply putting your postcode into the government’s checker tool.
In Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, you need to follow a different process to apply. The websites to use are:
- https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/nutrition-and-school-lunches
- https://www.mygov.scot/school-meals/
- https://www.gov.wales/find-out-about-free-school-meals
If your child is eligible for free school meals, they should also qualify for the Holiday Activity and Food Programme.
In some areas, food vouchers might be available through the Household Support Fund. Contact your local council or check its website to find out if you could apply.
Some schools provide free breakfast clubs for children from low-income families, check with your child’s school to find out more.
School uniform grants
All local authorities in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales have school uniform grants available. Typically, to qualify you’ll need to be eligible for free school meals, even if you don’t claim them.
In England, not all councils offer grants in the first place, and where they do, the amount you can get varies hugely from as low as £25 in Sandwell, to as much as much as £170 in Wandsworth.
Check your local council’s website to find out how much is available and whether you qualify.
Free school transport – save £100s
Children who have reached compulsory school age can qualify for free school transport if they go to their nearest suitable school and any of the following apply:
- the school is more than two miles away and the child is under eight
- the school is more than three miles away and the child is eight or over
- there’s no safe walking route between their home and school
- they cannot walk there because of their special educational needs or disabilities or a mobility problem
If your child doesn’t meet any of these criteria, you might still be eligible if your family is on a low income. Generally, they will need to either be entitled to free school meals, or you need to get the maximum Working Tax Credit.
Each local council has its own system – but this could be a free bus pass or a seat on a school bus. Contact your local council to apply.
Free bus and train travel
Transport for London, which manages the underground and bus services in London, lets kids aged under 11 to travel for free.
Kids between 11 and 15 can also travel free on buses if they have a Zip Oyster photocard.
In Scotland, anyone under 22 can ride buses for free with a Free Bus Pass.
Other bus companies, like Stagecoach and First Bus, only let kids under five travel free of charge.
Tax-free childcare – £2,000 a year
The tax-free childcare scheme means you can get up to £2,000 a year for each of your children to help with the costs of childcare. This goes up to £4,000 a year if your child has a disability.
The money can be used for things like childminders, nannies, after-school clubs and wrap-around care.
To qualify, you need to be in work and earning above a certain income level, or on specific benefits. Your child must be younger than 11 and live with you. If either you or your partner earn more than £100,000 you can’t get the benefit.
To get the money, you need to set up an online childcare account for your child. For every £8 you pay into this account, the government will pay in £2 to use to pay your provider.
You can find out more about how to apply and the eligibility criteria on the gov.uk website.
Childcare costs through Universal Credit – up to £1,014.63 per month for one child
If you pay for childcare while you go to work, Universal Credit might reimburse some of your costs. This includes money you spend on holiday clubs, after-school clubs and breakfast clubs.
You can get up to 85% of childcare costs paid back to you. The maximum amount for each assessment period is:
- £1,014.63 for one child
- £1,739.37 for 2 or more children
If you live with a partner, you both need to be working, unless your partner cannot look after your children.
Find out more about childcare costs and Universal Credit on the government’s website.
Child benefit – £1,331.20 a year for one child
Child benefit is an allowance paid to you every four weeks to help towards the cost of raising your child.
You get £25.60 a week for your eldest child, and £16.95 a week for every subsequent child. This adds up to £1,331.20.
The money is available to every family with a child under 16, as long as you don’t earn over the income allowance. If your child stays in approved full-time education, you can keep getting the money, but you need to let the government know.
If either you or your partner earn more than £60,000 after pensions contributions, you will have to pay some of the money back. This is known as the high-income child benefit charge. If either of you earns more than £70,000 you need to pay all the money back.
Help from charities
Some charities offer free school supplies, including stationery, backpacks, and other essentials. Others offer financial assistance or subsidies for school trips and other educational activities.
You can also check with local community centres or charities, as they sometimes offer discounted or free access to extracurricular activities.
What help is available to parents for childcare costs?
CHILDCARE can be a costly business. Here is how you can get help.
- 30 hours of free childcare – Parents of three and four-year-olds can apply for 30 hours of free childcare a week.
To qualify you must work at least 16 hours a week at the national living or minimum wage and earn less than £100,000 a year. - Tax credits – For children under 20, some families can get help with childcare costs.
- Tax-free childcare – Available to working families and the self-employed, for every £8 you put in the government will add an extra £2.