School - clothing grants and vouchers
Parents or guardians of pupils who attend secondary school
and receive one of the following qualifying benefits may
be entitled to a school uniform grant for their child:
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- The guaranteed part of Pension Credit
- Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act
1999
- Child Tax Credit but not Working Tax
Credit
You and your partner must also:
- Get Child Benefit for the child you are responsible for;
and
- Live in the Rochdale borough, which includes Heywood and
Middleton
You cannot claim a school uniform grant if the child is at
primary school or in the sixth form.
Application procedure
Parents can apply for a school uniform grant by completing an
application form available from:
- Schools
- Council Customer Service Centres
- RBH offices
- By phoning the Contact Centre
If you have claimed Housing Benefit, Council Tax
Benefit or both, and ticked the box to claim a uniform grant,
you do not need to fill in a separate form.
Proof of income
The parent must provide proof of income, either a photocopy
of the DWP award letter, the full Child Tax Credit award
letter, a bank statement showing benefits paid into it or
proof of support received from National Asylum Seekers Support
Unit.
The grant
If your child qualifies for a uniform grant it will be paid to
you by cheque.
You can only claim one school uniform grant for each child that
qualifies, every 12 months. We do not normally issue school uniform
grants for children who are due to leave secondary school
within three months.
Re-applying for a school uniform grant
As long as the parent or guardian continues to receive one of
the qualifying benefits, we usually give one uniform grant
every 12 months for each child that qualifies.
Starting school
If your child is due to start school for the first time, please
fill in a new entrant form a few weeks before they start school.
The school will normally put one of these forms in the pack that
they give you before your child starts school.
Other financial help
If you have a child who is aged 16 to 18 and still in full-time
education, they may qualify for an Education Maintenance Allowance.
They may also be able to get financial help towards the cost of
books, equipment, travelling expenses, and other costs connected
with going to school.
Getting help
You can telephone the Revenues & Benefits Service, our
contact details are in the right hand column, or contact your
local Citizens Advice Bureau or Welfare Rights Service.
Citizens Advice Bureau