The additional funds are there to help cover costs
Parents in the UK could be entitled to an additional £200 before the children go back to school. This non-repayable cash is designated to help pay for school uniforms.
However, it is only available to certain families on low income living in specific areas. In the majority of cases you will qualify if your child is eligible for free school meals. Consumer finance website Money Saving Expert (MSE), founded by Martin Lewis, explained more about who can get the grant.
MSE said: “Generally, the minimum UK-wide requirement to get a school uniform grant is to qualify for means-tested free school meals – even if you don’t actually get them. Typically, to get means-tested free school meals, you need to be getting a specified benefit.”
These include:
- Universal Credit (you’re eligible after you’ve got your first payment)
- Child Tax Credit
- The “guaranteed element” of Pension Credit
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Income Support
- Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
However, the exact criteria for free school meals varies slightly around the UK. For more information on how to apply in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, visit the MSE website here.
It’s also important to note that local authorities can set their own school uniform grant eligibility criteria, and some councils include additional requirements. “For example, in some cases your child has to be in a specific year group or moving from primary to secondary school to qualify,” MSE said.
In England, the amount you can get will depend on your local council. Visit the MSE website here for a breakdown of which local authorities offer what.
MSE said: “In England, whether you can get a school uniform grant is a postcode lottery as it’s down to your local council to decide whether to offer one, how much you get and the eligibility criteria.”
Currently, only 22 out of 150 councils in England offer this grant. A further seven do offer financial support for uniforms but only in exceptional circumstances, for example, where you’ve suffered a fire, flood or have been made homeless.
MSE said: “If your council isn’t listed above, ask if it has other help available. Under the Household Support Fund, councils in England can access funding to help those most in need with the cost of daily essentials, including school clothing in some cases.
“Each council can choose how to distribute the money, so eligibility criteria and what you can get varies – for example, some have given extra funding to schools to hand out, while others provide direct help to vulnerable households in the form of supermarket vouchers.
“The scheme is set to run until April 2026. After this, councils will continue to receive funding for a new ‘Crisis and Resilience Fund’, a long-term scheme which will aim to protect families from crisis. However, it’s not clear yet how specific individual councils will use this funding.
“It’s worth contacting your council to find out what it offers. If you can’t access financial support under the Household Support Fund, your council may have other schemes in place that could help you.”
Grants in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland
School uniform grants are offered by all local authorities in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to anyone who meets the eligibility criteria. Here’s a rough guide:
Scotland:
- The amount you get varies by council, but it’ll be at least £120
- The deadline to apply varies by council
- See Mygov.scot for the link to your council’s application form
Wales:
- You can get up to £200 per child
- The deadline to apply is by 31 May 2026
- See Gov.wales for the link to your council’s application form
Northern Ireland:
- You can get up to £93.60 per child
- However, the deadline to apply was 25 July 2025