Cost of living: Help available in Wales for new school year

Getting ready for the start of a new school year can mean having to spend lots of money in one go, especially if your child is starting a new school.

Here's a quick guide to the Welsh government-run schemes to help families meet those costs.

If your child (reception to Year 11) is eligible for free school meals, you can apply for a grant towards school uniform, sports kit and equipment.

The Welsh government says the grant is £125 per child, with learners entering Year 7 entitled to £200 to help with increased costs associated with starting secondary school.

All looked after children qualify for the grant, whether they receive free school meals or not.

The 2023 to 2024 scheme is now open.

Most schools have on-site school uniform shops where you can buy pre-used garments, or you may be able get them for free - get in touch with your school, which can help.

Universal free school meals at primary schools are currently being rolled out across Wales, starting with reception year first.

As part of the Labour-run Welsh government's co-operation agreement with Plaid Cymru, all primary school pupils will receive a free school meal by September 2024.

In May, the BBC reported that most schools had reached the target of offering free school meals to reception, Year 1 and Year 2 pupils by April, but concerns had been raised over the quality of the meals, due to the effect of rising costs on school caterers.

The Welsh government said children in secondary school may be able to get free school meals if their parents or carers receive benefits such as Universal Credit, Income Support, Child Tax Credit or Jobseeker's Allowance.

Free school meals are available to eligible pupils who attend school full-time. This includes sixth form pupils.

Families need to apply for free school meals, so it's important to check to see if you are eligible.

Children may be entitled to receive a free breakfast in primary school, if the school they go to is maintained by the local authority and if it provides free breakfasts.

Check with your school as this can vary in each council area.

Pupils aged 16 to 18 who want to continue in education could be eligible for Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA), the Welsh government has said.

This is a weekly payment of £40 to help with the costs of further education, such as transport or meals.

Payments are made every fortnight and can be for academic or vocational courses.

Student Finance Wales has more information on EMAs and how to apply.

Further education students studying at either their local school or college may be able to get help with transport costs.

There is a financial contingency fund for eligible learners at further education colleges.

Students qualify for EMA if their household annual income is below £23,077, or £20,817 if there is only one young person in their household.

The money from this fund can be used for childcare costs, transport, meals, course equipment, learning materials and field trips.

Those who would like to apply for support can get more information from their college.

Free Welsh lessons are available for 16-18-year-olds who attend school, college or an apprenticeship scheme, to improve their Welsh language skills.

It is part of plans to give 16-25 year olds, as well as all teaching staff, access to free Welsh lessons with the National Centre for Learning Welsh.

Online and face-to-face courses are available, as well as self-study digital resources, as part of a wide package of training for 16 to 18 year olds, whether they are in education or not.

Those who will be eligible to access the courses can get more information from their school, college, or apprenticeship scheme provider, or through the portal for young people on the National Centre's website.

Hwb is a website with free apps and software which help pupils learn, the Welsh government says.

All teachers and learners have a Hwb account which gives them access to educational resources and digital tools.

One of the features of Hwb accounts is an automatic, free Microsoft Office 365 licence, allowing pupils to access and install latest Microsoft Office tools including Word, Excel and PowerPoint as well as Minecraft: Education Edition.

The licence can be used for free across up to 15 home devices, including tablets and smartphones as well as desktop computers and laptops.