Low-income and struggling families can apply for a government grant of up to £200 to help pay towards school uniforms. To be eligible for this grant, families must be receiving benefits such as Universal Credit, free school meals and Child Tax Credits. MoneySavingExpert put together a full list of benefits families need to claim to be eligible for the grant and free school meals.
As well as school uniforms, the grant can be used to help pay towards sports kits, classroom essentials (pens, pencils and school bags), IT equipment (for when schools can't loan out equipment) and more. Gov.wales has compiled a list together for where the grant can help.
Not all councils are offering the same amount to families. Scotland offers a minimum of £120 (but the final amount may vary), and you can apply for the grant through My.gov.scot. Wales offers up to £200 per child to help with school uniform purchases, and you can apply for the grant via Gov.wales and navigate to your local council.
In Northern Ireland, you could have claimed up to £93.60 per child, but the deadline to apply was 25 July 2025.
The amount you can get from councils across England varies from £25 per child to £170 per child. Not every council in England is offering the grant, so it's worth checking with your local council.
The site, MoneySavingExpert, has put together a list of all the councils across England that are offering the grant.
