School Essentials Grant

If you are the parent or guardian of a child in school, you may be eligible for a grant to help to pay for essential school items.

The official name of this grant is School Essentials Grant. This is also known as the Pupil Development Grant, PDG access or Uniform grant.

How much is it

The grant amount for the 2024 to 2025 school year will be:

• £200 for children in year 7, and
• £125 for children in all other eligible years.

How you can use it

You can use the grant to pay for:

• school uniforms and footwear
• sports equipment and kit
• school activities, including musical lessons, school trips and after school clubs
• classroom essentials, including pens, pencils and school bags
• laptop or tablet if you cannot loan it from the school.

Eligibility

You are eligible if your child is currently eligible for free school meals, but it does not extend to pupils who receive free school meals under the transitional protection or universal primary free school meal scheme.

You may be eligible if you receive one of the following:

• Income support
• Jobseeker's allowance (income based)
• Employment and Support Allowance (income related)
• Child Tax Credit, with a household income of £16,190 or less
• Pension Credit (guarantee)
• Universal Credit with net household earnings of less than £7400
• Help under Immigration and Asylum Seekers Act 1999.

In some cases, you may need to receive one of these even if your child receives free school meals.

Even if your child is receiving free school meals as part of the Universal Free School Meals initiative, it is still important to check eligibility to access the School Essentials Grant and extra funding for your school.

Check other help available if you are not eligible for this grant.

After applying

You will receive a confirmation email of your application, and we will let you know what happens next.