![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://uknews.evprotec.com/school-uniforms-parents-in-northern-ireland-call-for-more-help-with-costs/&media=https://uknews.evprotec.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/125546486__103766592_mediaitem103766591.jpg&description=Image source, Getty Images Image caption, A uniform grant is given to low-income families to help pay for school uniforms There should be more financial support available to help parents with back-to-school costs, one mother has said. Janet Ward said she spent about £500 on school uniforms and stationery for her two children, Daniel and Kiera. It comes as school uniform grants in Northern Ireland lag behind the rest of the UK. Volunteers at multiple uniform exchange programmes have also said demand has increased as parents continue to tackle the cost-of-living crisis. Janet, who is a single parent, said she spent £179 on two pairs of trousers and a pack of shirts for her son, and a jumper and pack of shirts for her daughter. Stationery, as well as a school blazer, two schoolbags and two pairs of shoes set her back another £313. "No kid should have to have a £500 piece of kit to go to school," she told BBC News NI. "There is a lot of expectation on what a child should have, even coming down to their stationery… I just think it's crazy money. It really is crazy the amount of stuff you have to buy for them for going back to school." Image caption, Janet Ward thinks the stigma should be removed around buying second-hand uniforms Janet works and so does not qualify for any grants or aids to help her with back-to-school costs. She runs the ADHD Hub in Newcastle, County Down, and often sees parents struggling to cope with rising costs. "I'm lucky that I have a job and I have a supportive family who help me so I can work, but I know there's a lot of people out there who aren't in the same situation," she added. "It's horrendous. It's absolutely awful for parents and I know a lot of them that are really, really quite struggling." In Northern Ireland some families qualify for a one-off payment to help buy school uniforms. There is no closing date for the scheme. Image source, Getty Images/MartinPrescott Image caption, Applications for the Education Authority's school uniform){kind=link}
There should be more financial support available to help parents with back-to-school costs, one mother has said.
Janet Ward said she spent about £500 on school uniforms and stationery for her two children, Daniel and Kiera.
It comes as school uniform grants in Northern Ireland lag behind the rest of the UK.
Volunteers at multiple uniform exchange programmes have also said demand has increased as parents continue to tackle the cost-of-living crisis.
Janet, who is a single parent, said she spent £179 on two pairs of trousers and a pack of shirts for her son, and a jumper and pack of shirts for her daughter.