Thousands of UK parents can get £150 to help pay for child's school uniforms

Samantha Leathers & Kieran Isgin
·2-min read
-Credit: (Image: Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire)
-Credit: (Image: Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire)


The Schools Essentials Grant, provided by the charity GroceryAid, has opened applications today. It offers parents £150 per school-age child, with a limit of three children per household.

The grant is designed to help cover the cost of school uniforms. This specific grant is aimed at parents who are employed in the grocery industry.

To be eligible, parents must work in supermarkets, wholesalers, manufacturers, suppliers, convenience stores, independent grocers, petrol forecourt stores, or as service providers to the grocery industry. To qualify, parents must have been employed by a grocery employer for at least six months.

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They must also be receiving Universal Credit or Child Tax Credit for children aged between four and 18. Eligibility also requires households to have savings of less than £4,000. Anyone who has received a GroceryAid grant since April 2024 is not eligible, reports Bristol Live.

To apply for the grant, parents need to complete the application form available on the charity's website.

The deadline for applications is June 20. However, the charity has noted that in previous years it has closed applications early when the maximum number has been reached.

The site added: "This year our application form will remain open for longer, however as this is a limited fund successful applicants will be randomly generated from those who meet the criteria and have provided all the information requested.

"Our aim is to make it fairer for those working shifts and to enable you to take time to submit all the correct documents so that if selected, your application will be successful."

You will need to be ready to upload onto the application form copies of:

  • A current payslip that clearly shows your name, employer and NI number

  • Your current Universal Credit statement showing the payment amount, full breakdown (including child element) and your name and address

  • If you receive Child Tax Credit then you can provide a pdf of your current bank statement showing your Child Tax Credit entry or your Child Tax Credit statement showing your name and address from Spring 2024.

The charity highlighted that unsuccessful applications are commonly down to the absence of proper documentation. Applicants are being encouraged to prepare the necessary papers well in advance.

Required submissions include a recent payslip with the parent's name, employer, and National Insurance number plus a Universal Credit statement showing the payment sum and details. Those who get Child Tax Credit must present their entry or statement from Spring 2024.

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