WITH the new school year already here, local parents have yet again struggled to pay for their children’s new school uniforms, and have found that they are often forced to buy from only approved stocklists, even after one of the most challenging financial years for families due to the pandemic.
The Herald has been made aware that uniform costs have proved to be significantly difficult for single-parent households, with a school grant of only £35 allocated to cover the expense of kitting out one child at primary school level.
Speaking to the Herald, one local mother explained, “As a single mother of four, I have two at primary school and two at secondary school.
“My son is going into first year so he needed to get everything and I had to pay for PE kit for my daughter who going into second year.
“My younger two aren’t too bad as only the jumper is branded. However, I do get a school grant for the uniforms which I applied for in July and I still haven’t received the money yet.
“I didn’t know if I would get it in time for them starting school which meant that my food shopping money had to go on uniforms.”
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