A range of financial assistance is available to help with the cost of attending school.
Best Start Grant
The payment provides families in Scotland, who are on a low income to help with the costs of a child starting school. People can apply around the time a child normally starts Primary 1 and if they get certain benefits or tax credits. Applications can be made online at www.mygov.scot/best-start-grant or by contacting the Freephone helpline on 0800 182 2222.
Deadlines do apply.
The helpline is open Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm.
Carers Allowance
You may be entitled to Carers Allowance if you care for someone 35 hours a week and they get certain benefits. Visit the Gov.UK website for more information on qualifying benefits and eligibility criteria.
Child Benefit
You may be entitled to Child Benefit if you are responsible for a child under 16 (or under 20 if they stay in approved education or training).
Dumfries & Galloway Cost of Living
A new website is available to help Dumfries and Galloway residents with cost-of-living increases.
The site is a one-stop shop detailing help with money and benefits, household bills, finding work, health and wellbeing, as well as support for families, young people, the elderly, and disabled.
Cost-of-living increases are now affecting everyone living and working in Dumfries and Galloway, but many residents remain unaware of what help is available to them.
The website – https://costofliving.dumgal.gov.uk – details the support at Dumfries and Galloway, national and UK level and will evolve as information and support changes.
It has been developed by the region’s Poverty and Inequalities Partnership and signposts people in need to information and resources that can mitigate the impact of falling income or increased bills.
Disability Living Allowance
You may be entitled to Disability Living Allowance for children who have health conditions or disabilities and who need more support than a child the same age who doesn’t have a disability.
Education Maintenance Allowance
If you have a child, 16-19 years old, who is attending school or college they may be able to get an Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA). An EMA provides financial support and is dependent on your household income.
To find out more, visit the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) website.
Free school meals
Free school meals are provided for all pupils in Primary 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. They are also available to children in early learning and childcare, Primary 6, Primary 7 and and secondary education in certain circumstances.
Children in early learning and childcare can qualify for free lunches on the days that they attend if they have a funded place. Your child can also get a free lunch in early learning and childcare, P6/7 or S1 to S6 if you meet the qualifying criteria.
Free School Meals can lead to a large saving each year for parents/carers of eligible pupils as your child may also qualify for a School Clothing Grant and Holiday Food Payments.
You will also be helping your child’s school if you qualify for Free School Meals. Some Scottish Government funding provided directly to schools is linked to the numbers of pupils who are registered as entitled to free school meals.
Qualifying criteria
Your child will receive free school meals if you are in receipt of the following:
- Income support
- Income-based Job Seeker’s Allowance
- Income-based Employment and Support Allowance
- Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- Universal Credit (where your monthly earned income is not more than £796)
- Child Tax Credit, but not Working Tax Credit, where your income is less than £19,995
- Both Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit where your income is not more than £9,552
If you have a child who has a Coordinated Support Plan (CPS) then you are also entitled to Free School Meals.
Free school meals and associated payments – Dumfries and Galloway Council (dumgal.gov.uk)
Lone Parents
One Parent Families Scotland is an organisation that offers a free helpline number and provides general advice to lone parents/carers on issues concerning them.
School Clothing Grants
he award of clothing grants is to assist with the cost of school clothing for families who are on a qualifying benefit or on a low income.
The current award for a School Clothing Grant is £134 per Primary aged child and £150 per Secondary aged child (values may be subject to change).
You may be eligible for a School Clothing Grant if you have a child who attends a school in Dumfries and Galloway, and you receive any of the following benefits:
- Universal Credit with a monthly earned income of not more than £796
- Income Support
- Income based Job Seekers Allowance
- Any income related element of Employment and Support Allowance
- Child Tax Credit, but not Working Tax Credit, with an income of less than £19,995
- Both Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit, with an income of up to £9,552
- Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
Apply
If you are not in receipt of Council Tax Reduction, you will have to provide up to date information on your financial circumstances to assess your eligibility.
School Clothing Grant applications for the current 2023-2024 school year are now closed.
**Applications for the new school year 2024-2025 (term beginning 21 August 2024) will be available here from the beginning of June 2024 **
You can still apply for Free School Meals and holiday food payments for school year 2023-2024 up until the end of the school term on 1 July 2024. Please go to the following link:
To report a change in your circumstances please contact:
- Email: Educationbenefits@dumgal.gov.uk
- Call: 030 33 33 3000
Payment
Clothing grant payments are paid directly to the applicant’s bank account. If you do not have a bank account please contact us. Payments cannot be made to Post Office accounts. We will not pay grants to pupils aged 16 (or who turn 16 between 1 March and 30 September) until after the summer holidays. We need the school to confirm attendance.
Tax credits
In April 2003 the UK government introduced two new tax credits, the Working Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit. (You do not have to be in work to receive Child Tax Credit.)
Parents on low income or who are out of work may be entitled to universal credit.
Around half of families with children can get tax credits, but you don’t need to have children to qualify.
