Amarah in her new school uniform
Tower Hamlets is leading the way by providing school clothing grants for new school starters, from families with household incomes of up to £50,350.
Applications are still open (until 30 September) for the grant for children who have started primary and secondary school this September, to support families dealing with ongoing cost-of-living pressures.
The council’s new £1m-a-year fund for school clothing grants allow families with household incomes of up to £50,350 to claim £50 per child entering primary school at reception year, and £150 per child entering secondary school at year 7.
The new funding is expected to provide up to 7,000 children each year with extra support to buy their school clothing and uniforms, supporting 21,000 children over the next three years.
Parents can make an application from when they are notified of their child’s school placement until 30 September that year for a child aged 4 and starting reception, or a child aged 11 and transferring from primary to secondary school.
Executive Mayor of Tower Hamlets, Lutfur Rahman said:
“I’m proud that we are leading the way nationally as the first Council in the country to provide this support to families with household incomes of up to £50,350, ensuring every child, regardless of their background, has the best chance to thrive in education. Starting a new school is a special rite of passage for children, who will be keen to make a happy and confident start, but the costs associated with starting school places an extra financial strain on families.”
“We are determined to support the children in our borough to flourish in education and realise their potential, becoming the first council in the country to provide free school meals for all pupils and restore the Educational Maintenance Allowance, as well as opening twenty youth centres. We are building on that investment in our young people with these enhanced grants for school clothes and uniforms to help relieve that burden for thousands of cash strapped families, in addition to a wide range of other innovative policies to support our residents with their cost-of-living pressures.”
From information provided by schools, parents and carers have been contacted by the council with details of the scheme and invited to make an application. However, all local families with a child starting school who feel that they may meet the criteria, are encouraged to find out more and to consider making a claim.
Speaking ahead of the new school year, mum Ruhena whose daughter Amarah is starting at Mulberry Academy Shoreditch this September said:
“This is a positive scheme and really beneficial for families especially with the rising cost of school uniforms and cost of living. School blazers and PE kits can be some of the more expensive items and children can grow out of clothing very quickly, so parents need to buy clothing and sometimes spare sets throughout the year.”
Cllr Saied Ahmed, Cabinet Member for Resources, Cost of Living and the Voluntary and Community Sector said:
“Our enhanced school clothing grant scheme means that up to 7,000 children a year will get extra support to ensure they are ready to learn.
“The expansion of the scheme will not only see more Year 7 secondary pupils benefit from increased £150 payments, but also families of reception year starters will receive £50 payments for the first time.
“I encourage all local families who feel that they may qualify for one of the payments to check out the details and see if they can make a claim.”
Families can visit the dedicated webpage www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/SCG for full details on the application process, including who can apply, what proof of income is required and a link to the form itself.
The school clothing grant application deadline for this new school year is September 30 2025.
Posted on Wednesday 3rd September 2025