More than half of Welsh parents worried about cost of school uniforms

Nation.Cymru staff

More than half of parents in Wales are worried about the cost of school uniforms as children prepare to return to classrooms for the new academic year, according to new research.

A survey commissioned by Save the Children found 53% of Welsh parents were concerned about uniform costs, while 41% said they were going without things themselves to meet back-to-school expenses.

More than a third (37%) were worried about paying for school shoes and one in five (20%) about the cost of PE kit.

Families are also cutting spending elsewhere to cover the costs, with 30% of parents surveyed saying they had reduced household spending, 27% using savings and 29% working extra hours.

The findings come from Save the Children’s No Summer Break from Poverty campaign, which highlights the financial pressures facing families during the school holidays and as children return to school.

Dominique, a mother of two from Bettws in Newport whose son is starting secondary school, said: “Parents are struggling with any extra expenses throughout the year so now when they go back to school, having to pay for the uniforms and things on top of costs over the summer is stressful.

“I’ve been trying to put some money aside every month to save up as everything just adds up so quickly.”

Save the Children Cymru is supporting families through Community Focused Schools in Neath Port Talbot, including providing grants which can be used towards essentials such as back-to-school costs.

Kathryn Matthews, Community Focused Schools Manager at Neath Port Talbot Council, said: “In Neath Port Talbot, we are working alongside schools to identify and reduce the financial barriers that can impact children’s educational experiences as part of a poverty-proofing pilot scheme.

“We were also one of the first authorities to roll out free school meals and unlock access to additional financial support, including the School Essentials Grant.

“A strong network of pre-loved school uniform provision is one of the many areas of help we offer, with a parent of five children recently describing it as ‘a lifeline’.

“Every parent and carer in the Neath Port Talbot area has access to our ‘Help with the cost of living’ webpage which includes various avenues of financial support including childcare costs, household bills and advice around any benefits available to them.”

Save the Children Cymru said longer-term measures were needed to help families facing rising essential costs and called for a national Welsh Child Payment.

School Essentials Grant

Melanie Simmonds, Head of Save the Children Cymru, said: “We welcome the work carried out by community-led organisations and local authorities to support parents during this time and that the Welsh Government are continuing with their School Essentials Grant and expanding the provision of free school meals to secondary school pupils in households receiving Universal Credit.

“But with over half of Welsh parents still struggling with back-to-school costs there is still a need for wider support.

“The Welsh Government’s pilot Cynnal, which is a weekly payment of £10 for young children in low-income families within the pilot areas, is a good first step towards a fully scaled-up Welsh Child Payment.

“If the scheme is rolled out nationally it would be a powerful lever to address child poverty and give families the support they need to ensure children have the childhood they deserve.”

The survey was carried out by Opinium between June 22 and July 3 and questioned 2,000 parents across the UK with at least one child under 16.

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