Blow to families as school uniform grant axed

From the The Argus, first published Wednesday 30th Aug 2006.

Parents with children returning to school face extra costs after grants for uniforms were axed.

East Sussex County Council said it had to make savings of £14 million across all services, £3 million of which would come from the budget for children and young people's services.

But Mark Dunn, cabinet member for the department, said that he had to axe the budget with heavy heart and blamed central government for not providing adequate funding.

He said: "It makes my blood boil. I was forced to do it. West Sussex is a wealthy county but there are pockets of terrible deprivation and central government hasn't increased its funding as hardship has increased."

He said the grant was worth £45 each year per child, adding that children from less well off families would have to rely on "hand me down" schemes in schools.

A council statement said: "The county council wrote to schools earlier this year to tell them that from April 2006 it would no longer be providing clothing grants. Letters were also sent to all parents of pupils who would have been eligible for this support.

"This decision has been taken because, although funding for schools has been reasonable, the overall financial settlement for West Sussex has been particularly poor for the next two financial years and this has an affect on local authority services."

Kristine Williams, whose four children go to school in Horsham, estimated that it could cost anything up to £140 to buy clothing, shoes and sports gear for a child beginning secondary school.

She said: "It's terrible. I just think that would not be fair for parents who cannot afford it."

But she was not keen for schools to bow to pressure from some parents to drop uniform policy.

She said: "I suppose in some ways it would be cheaper but I just think it shows respect for the school and stops children going to school in inappropriate clothing."

Brighton and Hove City Council ended its clothing grants scheme six years ago, reflecting a trend that is growing across the country and already includes East Sussex.

A Brighton and Hove City Council spokesman said that any individual unable to pay the costs of uniform would be advised to approach the governing body.

West Sussex County Council defended its decision to end the grant. A spokesman said: "Clothing grants are not commonplace across the rest of the country and very few councils offer them. Schools and governing bodies do have the option of continuing this support from their own funds if they wish to do so."

The DfES said the allocation for local government had been increased by 4.5 per cent in 2006-07 and five per cent in 2007-08.

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