HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

EDUCATION PANEL

THURSDAY 10 MAY 2007 AT 2.00 PM

NECESSITOUS CLOTHING – SCHOOL UNIFORM GRANT BUDGET AND NEED TO REVIEW ELIGIBILITY

Report of the Director of Children, Schools and Families

Author:Lindsay Martin, Head of School Access

Tel: 01992 556718

Executive Member: David Lloyd

  1. Purpose of the Report

To inform Education Panel of the need to review the Necessitous Clothing scheme and to seek a recommendation to Cabinetfor a change in the eligibility criteria.

  1. Summary

The cost of providing school uniform for children in schools that are closing and/or amalgamating with another school has been met from the Necessitous Clothing budget and has contributed to the overspend in this budget in 2006/07. When the County Council requires pupils to change schools as a result of a re-organisation of provision, the payment towards the new school uniform has been a standard £100 for all types of school whereas the routine Necessitous Clothing scheme for Secondary Schools is £81 and Primary £24.50 for those children with families on any type of benefit.

The Necessitous Clothing scheme eligibility is for families on any type of benefit whereas other welfare schemes such as free school meals and transport is only for those on income support or maximum child tax credit.

The Necessitous Clothing budget of £211.5k in 2006/07 was overspent by £23k or 11%. School re-organisations planned for 2007/08 and 2008/09 will create budgetary pressures of £130k (61%) and by £185k (87%) respectfully.

  1. Conclusion

3.1Panel is asked to consider options to bring the Necessitous Clothing budget into line. It is recommended that option 3 isthe most appropriate one.

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  1. Background

The Necessitous Clothing scheme has been in existence for over twenty years and has not changed during that time. The current view is that school uniform can be a barrier to some families and their children seeking access to certain schools a set out recently in the Education and Inspections Act 2006 and the subsequent new Admissions Code of Practice.

4.2 When schools close the most cost effective way of providing school uniform is for the new school to which a majority of the pupils transfer to bulk buy. If Cabinet agrees to review the eligibility criteria for school uniform grant the equitable option would be to pay the same amount for both the Necessitous Clothing scheme and following school closures, using the same criteria.

4.3 A survey of Education authorities across Englandshowed that 70 councils no longer provide school uniform grants and leave it up to the schools how they provide help to those on low income. This may not be acceptable in the case of school re-organisations undertaken by the County Council for which individual schools cannot be expected to take responsibility.

  1. Financial Implications

5.1The expenditure for 2006/07 was £234k against a budget of £211.5k. £70k of the spend was for the cost of school uniform for the schools that are closed 2006/07.

5.2Options for the future are set out in the following table:

Options / Forecast 2007/08 £ / Forecast 2008/09 £
1. Do nothing
- closing school payment of £100
- Necessitous Clothing scheme continues where any type of benefit is eligible
Total / 130,000
211,500 / 185,800
211,500
341,500 / 397,300
2. Payment for uniform for school closures is the same as the Necessitous Clothing scheme, £81 for secondary and £24.50 for primary, but for all families
-School closure cost
-Necessitous Clothing scheme continues where any type of benefit is eligible
Total / 31,650
211,500 / 45,521
211,500
242,150 / 257,021
  1. Payment for uniform for school closures is the same as the Necessitous Clothing scheme, £81 for secondary and £24.50 for primary, but for all families while the Necessitous Clothing eligibility is on the same criteria as for free school meals i.e. income support and maximum child tax credit
-School closure cost
-Necessitous Clothing scheme
Total / 31,650
121,500
153,150 / 45,521
121,500
167,021
4.Base both school closure and Necessitous Clothing eligibility on same criteria as for free school meals i.e. income support and maximum child tax credit
- School closure cost
- Necessitous Clothing scheme
Total / 2,303
121,500 / 7,864
121,500
123,803 / 129,364

6. Recommendation

6.1It is recommended that option 3 is the most appropriate as it enables the County Council to bring the budget under control. It also recognises that there should be some difference in eligibility where the need for a new uniform is caused by actions which the County Council has taken. In any event, Option 4 could not be implemented until after September 2008 because of undertakings already given to parents during reviews of school provision up to that date.

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