Grants to buy school uniforms on the way
FAMILIES on low incomes will be able to get financial help to buy their children’s school uniforms, it has been announced.
Education secretary Kirsty Williams said there will be a school uniform fund approved for 2017-18, earmarking £700,000 of Welsh Government funding to help families.
The grant will be available to pupils in year seven of maintained schools in Wales who are eligible for free school meals.
It will also be available to pupils in special schools, special needs resource bases, and pupil referral units, who are aged 11 at the start of the school year and are eligible for free school meals.
Details of how to apply for a grant will be released during the summer term. Ms Williams said: “Chosen by each school, school uniforms provide students with a school identity, strengthen school and individual spirit and pride – not unlike the way team kit builds identity, morale, and self-esteem.
“Every child can appreciate wearing a school uniform is a powerful rite of passage and an equally powerful statement of belonging.
“This fund is about making sure everyone in Wales, no matter what their background, has the opportunity to feel their best and thrive at school. I remain committed to closing the achievement gap between the pupils from our most deprived communities and those from more prosperous areas.”