Climb-down on school uniform help for parents on low incomes
FAMILIES URGED TO APPLY FOLLOWING U-TURN... FOUR MONTHS AFTER CASH WAS TO BE SCRAPPED
THE Welsh Government will now help parents on low incomes pay for school uniforms... four months after it said the handout wasn’t needed.
In April it was reported how a £700,000 pot which allowed those on low incomes to apply for support with costly school uniforms was being axed this September.
There was an outcryry fromfrom par-parents, prompting Welshsh Edu-Education Minister Kirstyy Wil-Williams to announce inin June the cash would bebe reinstated as part of aa new fund.
The new money, part of £1.7m being put into the Pupil Development Grant (PDG), will be known as PDGAccess.
The maximum grantnt is £125 per qualifyinging child.
Ms Williams said:d: ““WeWe want all our pupils to have access to the same opportunities – whether in or outside of school – and PDG Access is about making sure that happens. “We know that the costs of school uniform, u sports kit k and equipment equipm for other othe activities can all addad up so it’s it really important t that parents and carers e are aware aw of thisthi new fund fun and know where ● Kirsty to t appl apply.” Williams For the t first time, learners in both Reception and Year 7 who are eligible for free school meals will fall within scope of the funding. Unlike the previous school uniform grant, all looked after children in these year groups will also be covered.
The money will be distributed via councils as it was before, and parents are being urged to apply straight away.
The message from the education minister contrasts sharply from that given in April, when a Welsh Government spokesman explained why the grant wasn’t needed.
He said: “Since the introduction of the grant, which was mainly for learners entering Year 7, school uniforms have reduced significantly in price and their availability has increased.
“We have also worked with school governing bodies to encourage schools to follow Welsh Government guidance on keeping uniform costs low.”
Darren Millar AM said: “This announcement amounts to an embarrassing climb-down from the Minister, and comes after a huge backlash from all corners.
“Make no mistake, the Education Secretary has been forced into doing the right thing.
“We warned that scrapping the grant would hit the poorest pupils the hardest and thankfully the Welsh Government has seen sense.
“Labour’s bonfire of education grants is causing huge concern amongst parents and teachers alike, and this U-turn is a sad indictment of the Welsh Government’s mismanagement of its resources.”