'School Costs' Week 2026
24 August 2026
This week we are focusing on the 'costs of a school day' and how to cope with them. Below is an article, reproduced here, from this month's edition of Your Call magazine giving you some tip tips on what you can do and what you need to look out for. The original article can be found here.
Back to School: Coping with the ‘costs of a school day’ in 2026
School uniforms cost money, school meals cost money, travel to school costs money, buying books, art equipment and other needs costs money. The list seems endless, and that’s just for one child attending one school.
What can you do to reduce the ‘costs of a school day’ for your family? Here are a few tips, and notification of important changes to free school meal entitlements and school uniform regulations.
1. School uniforms - new legislation this year stops most schools from forcing parents to buy ‘more than three different branded items of school uniform for use during a school year’ (a tie can be added to the list for secondary school pupils). This supersedes previous guidance telling schools they couldn’t require uniforms to be bought from single suppliers. For those in financial difficulty, many schools will operate, or be part of, a ‘uniform swapping scheme’, or offer financial support and/or flexibility in the application of uniform rules. Just ask.
2. School meals - free school meals (FSMs) have been available to low income families with children at school for many years; including, on a discretionary basis, to those with ‘no recourse to public funds’. Recently, FSMs became a universal entitlement for pupils in school years 1 and 2, as well as those attending Reception, whatever the income of the parents. In September, FSM entitlement is being expanded to the school children of any parent in receipt of Universal Credit, whatever their income. If you receive Universal Credit, but were previously told you couldn’t get FSMs, contact your local authority again to find out how to apply from September.
3. Free ‘Breakfast Club’ provision - new laws this year also make provision for the delivery of free breakfast club provision, including 30 minutes of free childcare, before every school day for all ‘qualifying’ primary schools. If you're not sure if your school is providing/will provide this, contact them as soon as you can.
4. School Transport - If your child can't walk to school because of special educational needs or disabilities they should get free school transport. You may be able to get help with transport costs from your Local Education Authority if your children can’t walk because it's dangerous or too far. Your Local Education Authority is part of your local council that deals with education in your area. Contact it directly to find out exactly what support it offers.
5. School trips and school equipment - schools cannot ask you for payment for school trips that form an integral part of your child’s curriculum. Where payment is required, for non-curriculum trips, schools will often offer flexibility in what to pay, how to pay, or even write off liabilities in order to ensure your child can participate. Be sure to ask them about this if you are struggling. When it comes to equipment costs, such as laptops and other IT devices, if the school can’t help, there are often local charities that can. If your child has special needs, the Family Fund is one national charity willing and able to provide financial or material support.
Details of the Family Fund can be found at https://www.familyfund.org.uk/ . To help access other charitable funding call 0800 250 5715 and talk to your local Citizens Advice.
For more on new ‘free school meal’ entitlements, go to https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2025/06/expanding-free-school-meals-what-parents-need-to-know/ .
For more on the Childrens Wellbeing and Schools Act, go to https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2026/05/the-childrens-wellbeing-bill-what-parents-need-to-know/ .
Look out for more tips and ideas during the week via our TwitterX account.
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