Families in Wales urged to claim up to £200 per child for school essentials before application window closes

Families across Wales are being reminded of the School Essentials Grant which can offer help to parents and carers struggling financially, with £125 available for eligible learners and £200 for learners entering year 7.

Education is an important part of every child’s development, but the costs can be difficult for some families to manage.

Uniform, stationery, music lessons, sports kit and equipment for after school clubs – it can all add up, making the School Essentials Grant an important help for struggling families.

Currently, 90% of those eligible have claimed their free School Essentials Grant. That still leaves thousands of children in Wales whose parents need to claim the money before applications close on 31 May.

The School Essentials Grant

The School Essentials Grant is a support payment to help cover the cost of essentials needed for school.

Families on lower incomes who receive certain benefits, those seeking asylum and children in care can claim £125 per child per year to help with school costs in primary and secondary school.

For children going into year 7, there is £200 available in recognition of the extra cost of starting secondary school.

The grant can be used to pay for school uniform, including coats and shoes;  school activities, like learning a musical instrument, sports kit and equipment for after school activities and classroom essentials, like pens, pencils and bags.

Beth Williams, teacher at Maesyrhandir CP School in Newtown said: “The School Essentials Grant is a massive help to parents.

“We all know how hard it is, especially if you’ve got more than one child, to buy all the things that they need, and it all comes at once. So, the parents can use the School Essentials Grant to buy anything they might need for the cost of the school day – new uniform, new PE kit.”

Extra funding

In addition to support paid to a learner’s family, their school or setting will also receive extra funding through the Pupil Development Grant (PDG), which can help raise the attainment of learners by reducing the barriers to learning.

This funding is used to support learners from lower income families, for example by paying for support staff.

This applies to learners in all schools and settings, including special schools and pupil referral units.
Caroline Bufton, Headteacher of Maesyrhandir CP school in Newtown, has used the PDG funding to improve creative opportunities for children.

“It’s very important for parents to check their eligibility because this allows us to have funding which is vital to supporting their children,” she said.

How to claim

Families must register their eligibility for the School Essentials Grant through their local authority and you can apply every year for each of your children. Learners from all kinds of education settings are eligible as long as they are aged 4 (in Reception) to 16.

• For a learner to be eligible, their parent must receive one or more of the following:
  Income Support
  Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
  Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
  Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
  Guaranteed element of Pension Credit
  Child Tax Credit (as long as parents do not also get Working Tax Credit and their annual income is £16,190 or less before tax)
  Working Tax Credit run-on (paid for 4 weeks after parents stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)
  Universal Credit (as long as the annual net earned household income is less than £7,400, not including benefits)
  Even if your child already receives a Free School Meal, you still need to check eligibility to access the School Essentials Grant and extra funding for your school.

Requests for funding must be made annually, so it’s important to check your eligibility before the funding window closes on Saturday May 31, 2025.

Families of primary and secondary school learners (if eligible) are entitled to £125 per child, per year.
Families of secondary school learners in year 7 (if eligible) are entitled to £200 per child, per year.

This school year’s application window closes on Saturday 31 May 2025.

Find out if your child is eligible and claim now: gov.wales/get-help-school-costs