Uniform vouchers offered to struggling Wandsworth families

Parents of children receiving free school meals in Wandsworth will be able to claim uniform vouchers for their youngsters entering reception and secondary school.

The south-west London council has allocated £150,000 to help struggling families pay for new school uniforms.

The council has already given just under 1,000 uniform vouchers to families on lower incomes this summer.

The scheme initially began in 2022 and is running for a second year.

Vouchers of £40 for children entering reception and £160 for those starting secondary school will be on offer, according to the Local Democracy Reporting service.

The scheme is part of the authority's bigger cost-of-living fund, which recently expanded from £5m to £10m.

The fund is providing a range of support for residents, such as food vouchers during the school holidays, free gym memberships for lower-income families and cost-of-living payments to pensioners who receive council tax reduction.

Labour councillor Kate Stock, cabinet member for children, said: "The vouchers are easy to access and simple to use so we can look forward to all Wandsworth children turning up to school in September looking smart, full of confidence and ready for the year ahead."

The authority said those who have not been contacted but think they are eligible for the uniform support scheme should email [email protected].

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