Thousands of parents can now apply for a one-off school uniform discount as applications open across the board.

This is for the School Uniform Grant – which could give you up to £150 off your child's expenses for the new academic year.

It's part of the Education Act 1980 and is offered by the Government to help families on low incomes manage their budgets.

The benefit is compulsory in Scotland – where local authorities are obliged to pay qualifying families at least £100 per child.

However, in England, it's not a statutory right, and many councils have been forced to scrap – or reduce – it in recent years over funding rows.

Right now, residents in York can apply for up to £70 off, while those in Islington, London, can claim up to £150 off.

But, in the past 12 months, Mirror Money has learnt of dozens of councils that have withdrawn from the scheme – meaning many parents who previously qualified, no longer will.

This includes councils such as Stockton, Cornwall, Cambridgeshire and Northumberland – while other areas such as Nottinghamshire now only pay it to children with special educational needs.

Regardless, however, it's always worth checking your local authority to see if you qualify.

 If you don't, the Department for Education told the Mirror that parents may be able to apply for a reduction from their child's school, instead.

"Our guidance emphasises that schools should give highest priority to cost considerations," a spokeswoman told Mirror Money.

"No school uniform should be so expensive as to leave pupils or their families feeling unable to apply to, or attend a school of their choice due to the cost of the uniform."

How to apply for the school uniform grant

If you're on a low income and claim one of the below benefits, you'll be able to enquire about the scheme from today.

Applications typically open on 30 June – when mums, dads and guardians can submit their forms online.

To be eligible, you have to be earning less than £16,190 a year.

To find out if your council offers it, you'll have to enter your postcode into the Gov.uk page for school uniform support.

Once you've located your authority, you'll also be directed to other types of support you might qualify for around 'education and learning' such as travel relief, free school meals and help with childcare.

Who qualifies for help?

The Education Act stipulates that "local authorities must make provision for the clothing of pupils that would otherwise be unable to afford schoolwear" – however, it's not compulsory in England.

The amount you can claim depends on your local council's budget, however as a general rule, grants are available for people on a range of benefits including job seeker's allowance, income-related employment or support under the national asylum seekers support system (Nass).

You can also apply if your annual income is less than £16,190.

It's worth noting that the scheme won't be applicable if your child is enrolled at an academy as these are independently-run.

To claim the grant you must be receiving one of the following benefits:

• Income support

• Job seeker's allowance (income based)

• Child tax credit – provided you are not entitled to working tax credit

• Employment Support allowance (ESA)

• State pension – this benefit must be your sole source of income

• Support under Part IV of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999

• Universal Credit

You must also prove that you are legally responsible for the child by sending the school admissions and benefits team a recent copy of your bank statement confirming the payment of child benefit to your account.

How much you can claim

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