This information applies to England, Wales and Northern Ireland
In this information, we talk about local education authorities. In Northern Ireland, these are called Education and Library Boards (ELBs). We use the word 'parent' to include both parents, or the pupil’s guardian, or another person who has parental responsibility for the child.
As a parent, you may be entitled to certain types of financial help, depending on your financial circumstances. In some circumstances, financial help will be dependent on whether your child is of compulsory school age. In other cases, it will depend on what type of school your child is attending.
Examples of financial help include:
For more information about different types of school, see Types of school.
For more information about what is compulsory school age, see under heading Compulsory school age in Access to education.
For more information about help with the costs of education for students aged under 19 in England, see Education from 14 – 19 in England or, in Wales, Education choices at 16 in Wales.
The following organisations may give financial help:
Local education authorities must give you written information about what help they give with education costs, the criteria for getting this help and how you can apply. The local education authority which covers the area where the pupil usually lives is responsible for helping with the costs of education. However, if the child is not permanently settled anywhere, for example, they are part of the Taveller community or a refugee in temporary accommodation, the local education authority which covers the area where the pupil is currently living is responsible for helping with the costs of education.
Governing bodies or parents’ associations may give financial help. If they do, they will usually publicise this in the information they give to parents about the school. You can find out what help is available from the parents’ association or the head teacher.
Some charities give grants to parents to help with the costs of education. These charities often have a limited amount of money to give and usually have very specific criteria which must be met in order to get a grant. Although the criteria vary widely, some common examples could be that parents live in a particular area or belong to a particular religion.
You can apply for help whenever you think you may be eligible. However, if the help you are applying for is discretionary, the amount of money available for the year may be limited and you should apply early in the year if possible. If you have made a previous, unsuccessful application, you may become eligible if your circumstances change.
The policies of local education authorities and governing bodies on how they provide discretionary help vary widely. However, it is against the law to discriminate against you because of your race, sex, sexuality, disability or religion when they draw up their policies.
In England and Wales, local education authority maintained schools must provide a free midday meal to pupils if they (or their parents) receive income-based Jobseekers Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) or Income Support, or if they are receiving support as asylum seekers. The school must also provide a free meal if a pupil's parent receives Child Tax Credit but not Working Tax Credit and their income is below a certain level or if they get the guarantee part of Pension Credit. However, in England and Wales if the parent is getting Working Tax Credit for four weeks because they have stopped work or reduced their hours to less than 16 hours a week, or in some cases, less than 30 hours a week, they may still be able to get free school meals for their children.
In City Technology Colleges (CTCs), the governing body can decide whether or not to provide free school meals and, if they do, which pupils are eligible.
In Northern Ireland, local education authorities must provide a midday meal free of charge for pupils if their parents get income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, income-related ESA or Income Support. The school must also provide a free meal if a pupil's parents gets:
This applies to pupils at:
Local education authorities are also required to provide a midday meal free of charge to pupils attending special schools who are designated to require a special diet and/or are boarders.
Pupils getting free meals may not always get the same meals as those paying in full. In cafeteria systems, pupils entitled to free school meals can choose food up to a certain fixed cost.
Local education authority maintained schools may provide subsidised milk to pupils. You must pay for it unless you are entitled to free school meals, when it should be free of charge. Free school milk may be available to children under five if the school takes part in such schemes. In Wales, Key Stage 1 pupils are entitled to free school milk.
In all other schools and colleges, the governing body may decide to provide milk but may charge if they do so.
In Northern Ireland, local education authorities have to provide free school milk for:
Milk is also available at a charge to pupils who do not qualify for free milk.
Local education authorities have discretion to give help with the cost of school clothing for pupils in maintained schools, colleges for further education and sixth form colleges. This can include uniform and non-uniform clothes, shoes and sports kit. In some schools and colleges, help may be available from the governing body or parents’ association.
Local education authorities vary widely in their policies on who can get help and what items they will give help for. To find out what the policy is in your area, check with your local authority.
Some local education authorities restrict help to school uniform only, some pay a one-off grant when the pupil starts school while others pay regular grants as the pupil grows and needs new clothing. Some local education authorities give the help as cash grants, while others give vouchers to be used at local shops and others give actual items of clothing.
Some local education authorities have a policy of not giving financial help to buy school uniforms because pupils are not legally required to wear a school uniform. This is more likely to be the case with primary school pupils. If your school's policy is for pupils to wear uniforms and you cannot afford to buy one, you may have to challenge the local education authority.
Citizens Advice is campaigning to encourage more parents to challenge local authorities that refuse to consider requests for grants.
If you're interested in taking part in the campaign, you can do this by telling us about your experiences or getting involved in local activities. You can find out more by going to our website at: www.citizensadvice.org.uk . Or email: adrian.galvin@citizensadvice.org.uk.
For more information about challenging the local education authority, see The general procedures for dealing with a problem at school in Problems at school.
Some school governing bodies or parents’ associations give help with school clothing. This help is usually provided by the school keeping a stock of second-hand clothing which it gives to pupils who fall within its criteria for help, or by running a second-hand uniform shop where the clothing can be bought cheaply by any parent.
If your child is disabled and you get income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance or Income Support, it may be possible to get a community care grant from the social fund to help with the cost of school clothing.
For more information about getting a community care grant for clothing, see Help for people on a low income – the Social Fund.
In Wales, a one-off grant of £100 is available to pupils entering secondary school who are eligible for free school meals – see under heading Free school meals. The grant is also available to pupils in Wales who are aged 11 and are in special schools, special needs resource bases and pupil referral units. You will be able to get this grant on top of any other help you get, for example, from your local education authority.
The Back to School Grant is a scheme run by the Northern Ireland Memorial Fund to help those who have been affected by the Troubles with the cost of providing school uniforms, books, and other costs associated with the start of the school year. To qualify for the grant, you must have a child in full-time education who is living at home and must, as a result of the Troubles:-
The grant is not means-tested, that is, it does not depend on your income or savings.
To apply for a grant, contact:
The Northern Ireland Memorial Fund
Grants Administration Office
1st Floor
Albany House
73-75 Great Victoria Street
Belfast
BT2 7AF
Tel: 028 9024 5965/5949
Fax: 028 90245048
Email: nimfgao@belfast.org.uk
Local education authorities must provide transport where they consider it necessary to ensure that a child gets to the nearest suitable school. The school could be in a different local authority area or an independent school.
If transport is necessary, it must be provided free of charge.
In most cases, it's up to the local education authority to decide what transport is necessary. Entitlement should be based on a child's individual needs.
The facts which the local education authority must take into account when making a decision include the age of the pupil, the nature of the available routes, how long the pupil has to wait for public transport and whether the pupil has particular medical or mobility needs.
Your child will be automatically entitled to free transport if they:
In England, pupils between 11 and 16 from low-income families are also entitled to free transport if:
In Wales, primary school pupils who live more than two miles from the nearest qualifying school will be eligible for free transport.
Statutory walking distance in England is:
Statutory walking distance in Wales is:
Statutory walking distance in Northern Ireland is:
Statutory walking distance is measured by the shortest route a child, accompanied if necessary, can walk with reasonable safety. If there is no such route, the local authority must provide free transport no matter what distance you live from the school.
Local education authorities do not have to provide free transport to a school which is beyond statutory walking distance, if the local education authority considers that there is a nearer suitable school. However, local education authorities may provide free transport for a pupil who is beyond statutory walking distance, even if there is a nearer school available. This help may be limited to those who have a good reason for choosing a more distant school, for example, a Catholic student wishing to attend a Catholic school or a student from a non-religious background who wants to attend a secular school.
For more information about types of school, see Types of school.
A low-income family is one where the children are entitled to free school meals, or where the family gets the maximum level of Working Tax Credit.
For more information about free school meals, see under heading Free school meals.
For more information about Working Tax Credit, see Benefits and tax credits for people in work.
The local education authority or governing body will either provide its own transport, hire coaches or provide free bus or train passes for use on public transport. A travelling allowance may be paid to pupils who provide their own transport, for example, a cycle allowance. A car allowance may be paid to you if you take your child to school or to a pick-up point agreed by the local education authority. Pupils who do not qualify for free transport may be allowed to travel on spare seats on school buses and a charge can be made for this.
If a local education authority has a duty to provide free transport, it must provide that transport for the whole journey. This is usually taken to mean from the bus stop, railway station or pick-up point nearest to the pupil’s home to the one nearest the school. The local education authority cannot simply pay the travelling costs from the bus stop, railway station or pick-up point nearest to the pupil’s home to a stop just within walking distance of school.
If you cannot persuade the local education authority to provide free transport for your child, the local education authority may be willing to pay part of the travelling costs under its discretionary powers.
A pupil who has an assisted place at an independent school can get help from the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) if their parent’s income is below a certain amount.
Local education authority transport duties and powers apply to city technology colleges (CTCs). The governing body of a CTC may provide transport, but may expect a student to apply to the local education authority first.
For more information about what is a CTC, see Types of school.
If you feel that your child has been unfairly refused help with transport to schools or colleges, you should consult an experienced adviser for example, at a Citizens Advice Bureau. To search for details of your nearest CAB, including those that can give advice by e-mail, click on the nearest CAB.
Local education authorities have the discretion to pay all or some of the travel costs of a parent visiting a pupil who boards at a maintained special school which is some way from the home. A letter of support may be needed from a doctor, social worker or teacher. There may be a limit to the number of visits for which the local education authority will pay.
If you're staying on at school or college after the age of 16, you may be able to get Educational Maintenance Allowance.
In England, for more information about Education Maintenance Allowance, see Financial help for students aged 16-19.
In Wales, for more information about Education Maintenance Allowance, see the website of Student Finance Wales at www.studentfinancewales.co.uk.
In Northern Ireland, for more information about the Education Maintenance Allowance, see the NIDirect website at: www.nidirect.gov.uk.
Local education authorities have a very wide discretion to make grants to enable pupils in maintained schools to take advantage of the educational facilities available to them without causing hardship to their families. However, the amount of money a local education authority has available for these grants is likely to be limited. Grants will be given only for activities or items which are not part of the school curriculum, for example, a grant may be given for travelling costs to attend an interview or towards the costs of a musical instrument.
For more information on what schools may or may not charge for, see Problems at school.
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