West Calder High School in West Lothian has already adopted an extreme “no uniform” approach. This legislative amendment is intended to relieve some financial strain on families, helping school uniforms become a more affordable and attainable option. The school began purchasing basic uniforms in bulk. This enables them to offer parents a full uniform from as little as £10 – a staggering reduction from the average price of a shirt and tie set-up at £56. This initiative would be a real boon to low-income families, especially in the face of education increasingly becoming cost-prohibitive.
Single parent Jen, who works 22 part-time hours at a care home, is echoing the reality on the ground for many parents. She’s forced to spend an average of £450 per year on her son’s different school uniforms and shoes. Her earnings exceed the £933 a month cap set by West Dunbartonshire Council for receiving a school uniform grant. Because of this, she is not able to receive this crucial financial support that she needs to get by, even though she’s barely making ends meet.
This year, the Scottish government committed an initial £14.2 million for the school funding grant. We are grateful that this new initiative will help more families in need. Thousands of parents continue to slip through the cracks due to narrowly defined eligibility criteria. In 2018, Deputy First Minister John Swinney agreed reforms to the school clothing grant calling for it to be made more accessible. Sara Spencer, project manager at the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG), identifies a key problem. The current system knowingly underfunds these very families.
The CPAG argues that the school uniform grant must be extended to all parents claim Universal Credit. While income ceilings vary, almost all councils in Scotland only make the grant available to those who earn under £850 per month. In sharp relief, eight councils have axed their thresholds completely. This is a positive change, making it possible for families with much higher incomes to qualify for assistance. As long as Jen lives within the boundaries of the Stirling Council area, she is eligible to receive that grant. There the threshold is much higher, at £1,851.
Many parents face similar challenges as Jen. Spencer highlighted the burden these costs create for many families, particularly those with several children who have to pay for the uniforms.
“It would make it more fair and consistent across the country and most importantly it would mean that more children on low incomes would be receiving this vital support.” – Sara Spencer
Julia Grindley, of the Edinburgh Uniform Bank charity, further underlined the impact of these eligibility restrictions. Many individuals who seek assistance are not eligible for state support despite living in poverty.
“Parents tell us that uniform is a really difficult and a big cost for them, especially in larger families where you’ve got uniform to buy for lots of children.” – Sara Spencer
She mentioned that the majority of these families only have one or two working parents. For starters, they typically only exceed the threshold by a little bit.
“About 40% of children who are referred to us for a clothing crisis pack are not eligible for the School Clothing Grant even though they are living in poverty.” – Julia Grindley
The impact of this system are far-reaching, especially for kids who will be made to feel uncomfortable about their outfit during school hours. Gerry Higgins, headteacher at West Calder High School, has said that financial pressure leads to children missing school.
“If they earn just £10 over the threshold they can actually end up worse off than families that are not working.” – Julia Grindley
He further admonished that students often don’t purposefully recognize the link. All too often, due to lack of funding, they fail to live up to their intended potential.
“You will have young people who will deliberately not come into school because of the cost of the school day,” – Gerry Higgins
Jen opened up about her concerns about the financial burden of meeting her son’s educational needs.
“It might be that they don’t realise that is the reason but they cannot afford to look the same as other young people.” – Gerry Higgins
She stressed the urgency of this moment, reminding everyone how quickly childhood goes by. That can make it difficult for parents to meet them.
“We are trying to work and better ourselves for our kids and then we aren’t getting the help at the end of it,” – Jen
Additionally, she shared anxiety around her son’s social climate and his interactions with peers.
“They can go to school one minute and then they wake up the next day and go, ‘oh my shoes don’t fit’.” – Jen
Jen and people like her across the country shine a light on an urgent need for reform. This needs to be tackled by changing how uniform grants are administered across Scotland. The way it’s set up now, families who are eligible often feel like they’re navigators themselves — and that’s especially true when they need help the most.
“We all want our kids in the best kind of stuff so they’re not getting bullied in school.” – Jen
The experiences of Jen and others like her underscore a pressing need for reform in how school uniform grants are administered in Scotland. The current structure leaves many families feeling unsupported at a time when they need assistance most.
