Dundee councillors to consider £15 boost to school uniform grant

Dundee families are in line for a cash boost to help them with the cost of school uniforms amid rising inflation.

Proposals to increase the school clothing grant by £15 are set to go before councillors next week. Currently, families of over 5,000 pupils receive the financial assistance.

Under the proposals, eligible primary school families could be in line to receive £140 per pupil, while it would rise to £170 for secondary school pupils.

Dundee City Council last agreed an increase to school clothing grants in June 2024 following extra funding from the Scottish Government.

A total of 5,279 pupils benefit from the support, which provides financial assistance for families on low incomes.

Families automatically receive a school clothing grant if they are entitled to income support, jobseekers allowance, universal credit – if their take home pay is less than £995 per month, support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, and those on housing benefit or council tax reduction.

Dundee Council leader Mark Flynn said: “It is one of the council’s key priorities to reduce child poverty and inequalities in incomes, education and health.

“This increase continues our drive to prioritise welfare support grants to children and families, bringing closer our goal of ending child poverty.”

SNP councillor Stewart Hunter added: “Not only is this good for equality in our schools, because we automatically award school clothing grants to eligible families, council staff can also actively promote council tax reduction, which can also save hard-pressed Dundee families money.”