Back to school allowances in the UK

Preparing for the new academic year can be a very exciting time for parents and children. What new wonders will be learnt, friendships made and passions  developed? The year ahead is a blank sheet and anything can happen.

However, it can also be a stressful time - especially for parents and carers. With the cost of living rising all the time, paying for books, uniforms, stationery and sports kits doesn’t come cheap. Thankfully, there is help for those who need it most. Here we’ll outline the back-to-school allowances that are available. We hope you find this useful if you’re about to prepare to send your children back to school.

What are back to school allowances?

If you’re on a low income or without work, there are a number of allowances you may be able to apply for to help you pay for back-to-school costs. According to Citizens Advice, here are some of the benefits available in the UK:

Free school meals

Children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 will automatically get free school meals. Older children may be eligible if you (as a parent) get certain benefits (see below): To apply for free school meals for your child, you will need to contact your local authority. Check the details at Gov.uk by typing your postcode in.

Transport

If your child is aged five to 16, your local education authority might offer free, or low-cost transport to and from school, if you don't live near school, or your child is unable to walk there. Apply to your local authority for help.

Activity costs

Your local authority might be able to help you with some other costs for school activities, if you're on a low income.

Disability living allowance.

This applies if your child is under 16 and disabled, or has a health condition. You can get between £23.60 and £151.40 a week.  This benefit isn't means tested, so how much you earn doesn't impact how much you can get.

Learning after year 11 back-to-school allowances.

If your child is staying in education after year 11, you must tell HMRC’s Child Benefit Office if you want to continue receiving child benefit and any extra support for children within means-tested benefits. When your child turns 16, HMRC will send you a letter asking whether your child will stay in education or training. You must reply to this letter to keep getting Child Benefit.

What are the clothing and footwear allowances?

According to the The Children’s Society parents spend an average of £315 per year for primary school uniform per child and £337 for secondary. For parents on low or no income, this can be a real stretch. However, there’s help in the form of a school uniform grant. To be eligible your child must also be qualifying for free school meals (see below). However, the exact criteria depends on your local authority so it’s worth checking with them.

How much will you get?

In England, this is something of a postcode lottery, as it’s totally dependent on your local authority. Some give uniform grants of up to £150. However, many don’t offer them at all. Estimates suggest that less than a fifth of local authorities in England offer any support. For those that do offer grants, the amounts are often a lot less than £150, and support is sometimes only given at certain times of the year, for example when children start school, or transfer to secondary school.

In Scotland, the grant is known as a School Clothing grant, and is at least £120 for a primary school child, and £150 for a secondary school child. Some local authorities are more generous and offer larger amounts.

In Wales, the pupil development grant is £125 for Reception, Years 1, 3, 5, 8, 9 and 10 pupils and £200 for Year 7 pupils, to reflect the costs of the transition to secondary school.

In Northern Ireland, you could be awarded a uniform grant of £43 for your primary school child, and up to £68 for secondary school child, depending on their age. Extra money is also given for sports kit.

Is my child eligible for back to school allowances?

Whether your child is eligible for an allowance, or not will, of course, depend on which allowance it is. It will also depend on your local authority’s policy.

All children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 classes are eligible for free school meals. But for free school meals for children from Year 3 up, and for uniform and activity allowances, as a parent you’ll need to be on certain benefits, including:

• Child tax credit

• Income support

• Income-based job seekers’ allowance

• Income-related employment and support allowance

• Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999

• The guaranteed element of pension credit

• Universal credit

• Working tax credit ‘run-on’ paid for four weeks after you stop qualifying for working tax credit

For disability allowance your child must be under 16 and disabled or have a health condition. You can get between £23.60 and £151.40 a week, and it isn't means tested, so it doesn’t matter how much you earn.

For help with transport to and from school your child must be between five and 16 years old, and for whatever reason be unable to walk to school. But you’ll need to apply to your local authority.

Support a loved one getting back to school

Every year we support many of our customers in sending money back home to support a loved one’s education. You could say that we’re something of experts on the whole subject of preparing to get back to school, and so can offer some real insights into the costs involved - read it here.  And that’s not all. For more insights head over to our blog. You’ll find a selection of helpful and informative articles put together especially for people living and working abroad.

And, if you need to send financial support for a loved one’s studies, we’re here for you, too. We can offer you a fast, secure and low-cost money transfer. So, you’ll know that your money gets where it needs to be quickly and efficiently.

The contents of this blog post does not constitute legal or financial advice and is provided for general information purposes only. If you require specific legal and / or financial advice you should contact a specialist lawyer or financial advisor. Information true at time of publishing.

WorldRemit Content Team

18 July 2023 • 4 mins read • Updated 12 September 2023