£310k given to families to help with back-to-school costs

More than 2,500 children qualify for the government's first ever grant to help with the cost of going back to school this September.

£310,300 is being paid to parents and carers under the first Back to School Bonus scheme.

Up to £150 is being given per school-age child to families with a combined income of less than £75,000.

The one-off payment was announced in April, to ease cost-of-living pressures on households preparing for the start of the new academic term.  It is intended to go towards buying uniform, shoes and other school essentials.

Read: Up to £150 per child to help with school essentials.

Channel 103 can reveal that 2,552 children have qualified -  1,450 at primary, and 1,102 at secondary school.  70 applications still being assessed. 

Requests for the help had to be made before the end of July, although families on Income Support were told they would receive the lump-sum automatically.

Payments started being made this week (19 August) and will continue throughout the month.

Additionally, from this September a maximum of five essential school-logo items will be allowed in uniform and PE kits.

The government policy was first announced in December 2023, in response to a recommendation from the Jersey Competition Regulatory Authority.

Read: Five Item Limit On 'Bespoke' School Uniform

The watchdog had found that the cost of branded uniform items ranged from £115 to £294 per child, with some schools requiring as many as eleven compulsory branded items.

Many schools across the island have already phased out multiped branded items ahead of the September 2026 deadline.

JCRA CEO Tim Ringsdore said: "When we carried out our school uniform market study, families were already facing rising inflation and pressure on household budgets.

‘Those pressures have not gone away. As families prepare for the new school year, limiting the number of compulsory branded items should make a real difference.

"Branded items can help give schools a sense of identity and belonging, but the new policy strikes a better balance between that identity and keeping costs manageable for parents.’

Extra help with uniform costs is also being offered by Autism Jersey.

Families can donate their old school clothes at its Boutique on The Parade.

In exchange, they'll get a 10% voucher to use in M&S on King Street to buy new uniform.