The poverty crisis affecting nearly 2 million schoolchildren

AS THE NEW TERM APPROACHES, MANY PARENTS CAN BARELY AFFORD SCHOOL UNIFORM – LEAVING THEIR KIDS AT RISK OF BULLYING AND LOW SELF-ESTEEM. BUT GEORGE AT ASDA AND THE CHARITY BUTTLE UK ARE HERE TO HELP

The start of the school year should be an exciting time. But for many parents struggling with the cost of living crisis, it presents an extra challenge – how to afford new school uniform.

Research by The Children’s Society* found that 1.8 million kids are wearing ill-fitting, unclean and incorrect uniforms to school because their families don’t have money for new ones. This can leave them feeling self-conscious, as well as making them more vulnerable to bullying and being excluded from friendship groups.

With the cost of kitting out a child for a school year as much as £175, it’s no surprise that 90 per cent of parents polled say they’re worried about being able to afford it all. Already some are having to make tough choices. Over half plan to reduce their energy use at home, while four in 10 families are cutting back on their food shop to find the extra funds needed for back-to-school items.

And others are having to take even more drastic measures: more than one in 10 say they will be skipping meals and going hungry so they can ensure their child has the right school uniform.

But with the cost of living crisis already biting into family budgets, even these measures might not be enough.

This is why Asda is working with Buttle UK to give disadvantaged children and their families support to buy school kit via the Better Starts initiative.

Better Starts aims to support 5 million children and help them reach their full potential. To help achieve this, Asda has committed £125,000 to ensure UK kids in low-income families have everything they require for the start of the new school year.

Liz Evans, MD of George at Asda, says, “Asda Better Starts aims to address the barriers that prevent kids getting on in life by tackling hunger, breaking down inclusion barriers and boosting children’s wellbeing.

“We work alongside some great charity partners to support thousands of children every year, and we are so proud of our community champions, who make a huge impact, delivering educational activities in schools and accessing grants available through the Asda Foundation, to provide essential resources to local groups.”

The supermarket chain will provide pre-loaded George gift cards to Buttle UK for the charity to pass on to the families who need them. These can be used instore or online at george.com.

And with George at Asda offering an extensive range of inexpensive school uniform items, all parents will be able to get their children ready for school, in wellfitting uniforms, without having to cut back on the essentials.

Asda Better Starts aims to address the barriers that prevent children from getting on in life