School uniform grants: Check if you can get support of up to £200 from your council

While a few deadlines have now passed, most local authorities that offer grants are still accepting applications – so it's worth checking what you can get.

Who's eligible for a school uniform grant

Generally, the minimum UK-wide requirement to get a school uniform grant is to qualify for means-tested free school meals – even if you don't actually get them.

Typically, to get means-tested free school meals, you need to be getting a specified benefit. These include Child Tax Credit, Universal Credit and others – see which benefits count. The exact criteria for free school meals varies slightly around the UK – see full info and how to apply in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

However, local authorities can set their own school uniform grant eligibility criteria, and some councils include additional requirements – for example, in some cases your child has to be in a specific year group or moving from primary to secondary school to qualify.

If you're not currently getting any benefits, use our 10-minute benefits check to ensure you're not missing out on vital support.

Live in England? Here are the councils that offer a school uniform grant

In England, whether you can get a school uniform grant is a postcode lottery as it's down to your local council to decide whether to offer one, how much you get and the eligibility criteria.

We've combed through the websites of all English councils responsible for education services – over 150 of them – and listed the 22 offering grants below.

If your council isn't listed above, ask if it has other help available. Under the Household Support Fund, councils in England can access funding to help those most in need with the cost of daily essentials, including school clothing in some cases.

Each council can choose how to distribute the money, so eligibility criteria and what you can get varies – for example, some have given extra funding to schools to hand out, while others provide direct help to vulnerable households in the form of supermarket vouchers.

The scheme is set to run until April 2026. After this, councils will continue to receive funding for a new 'Crisis and Resilience Fund', a long-term scheme which will aim to protect families from crisis. However, it's not clear yet how specific individual councils will use this funding.

It's worth contacting your council to find out what it offers. If you can't access financial support under the Household Support Fund, your council may have other schemes in place that could help you.

All local authorities in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales offer uniform grants

School uniform grants are offered by all local authorities in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to anyone who meets the eligibility criteria. Here's how it works in brief:

• Northern Ireland:
  - You can get up to £93.60 per child.
  - Currently accepting late applications (the deadline to apply in order to guarantee funding for the start of term was 25 July 2025).
  - Apply online via the Education Authority.

• Scotland:
  - The amount you get varies by council, but it'll be at least £120.
  - The deadline to apply varies by council.
  - See Mygov.scot for the link to your council's application form.

• Wales:
  - You can get up to £200 per child.
  - The deadline to apply is by 31 May 2026.
  - See Gov.wales for the link to your council's application form.

Other ways to cut the cost of school uniform

We've got lots of tips in our School uniform MoneySaving guide, but here are a few ways to save:

• Ask your school for help. Some schools offer vouchers or other financial assistance to help you cover the cost of uniforms. If they don't have a scheme like this in place, they may be able to point you in the direction of a local charity or community group that can assist you.

• Look for supermarket sales and deals. Various supermarkets offer generic uniform from as little as £5 per full set – these are plain-coloured clothes with no unique school badges. This is excellent value if your child's school allows generic uniforms.
  

  Sales and discounts tend to come around early in the summer holidays, though some cheap items are available year-round. For the latest offers, see our Cheap school uniform deals round-up.
  

  Bonus tip: If you do need items with a logo, sometimes it's cheaper to buy a generic sweatshirt and iron on a badge yourself – this can work out cheaper than the official sweatshirts. Last year, the Government announced plans to limit the number of branded uniform items schools in England can require as part of the new Children's Wellbeing Bill, but it's still unclear when this will take force.

• Bag a second-hand uniform. Many schools run second-hand uniform schemes, which can enable you to pick up school clothing items at a fraction of the retail cost. Facebook Marketplace and eBay can also be a treasure trove – we've previously found some logo sweatshirts, an official tie, generic trousers and more for free, as well as hundreds of other items for about £2 to £5.

• Check local Facebook groups and community programmes. There may be a 'school uniform bank' or pop-up shop in your area offering items at low or no cost, or a swap meet where you can exchange items with other parents and carers.

For more tips, see our full School uniform MoneySaving guide.