Parents cutting back on essentials to afford school uniform
Research finds nearly 40% of parents worried about back to school costs
Nearly 40% of parents in the UK are worried about the cost of children going back to school, according to research.
It also found the price of uniform and stationary is stretching many households, with some cutting back on essentials to afford it.
Gillingham Street Angels runs three uniform banks in Medway and gave away 6,000 pieces of school uniform last year.
Neil Charlick is their founder and says need has increased:
"It started as just a clothes rail outside our foodbank, giving away odd bits of school uniform.
"And it's grown. It's grown massively. People are desperate," he says.
He says customising uniforms to specific schools is what makes them so expensive:
"You can go to any supermarket and buy cheap trousers, shirts, jumpers - but you've got to have it embroidered.
"It costs hundreds of pounds. People just can't afford to pay it," he says.
Neil says the consequences of high costs are serious
"People can't afford to feed their children. They can't afford the basics," he says.
He says it's hard for parents to cut costs on uniform:
"If you send the kid to school in just a normal t-shirt, they get in trouble, so it's a catch-22.
"Something needs to be done to help these people out - and quickly," he says.