The poverty crisis affecting nearly 2 million school children

dailyrecord.co.uk:

The start of the school year should be an exciting time. But for many parents struggling with the cost of living crisis, it presents an extra challenge – how to afford new school uniform.Research by The Children’s Society found that 1.8 million kids are wearing ill-fitting, unclean and incorrect uniforms to school because their families don’t have money for new ones.

This can leave them feeling self-conscious, as well as making them more vulnerable to bullying and being excluded from friendship groups.With the cost of kitting out a child for a school year as much as £175, it’s no surprise that 90 per cent of parents polled say they’re worried about being able to afford it all.

Already some are having to make tough choices. Over half plan to reduce their energy use at home, while four in 10 families are cutting back on their food shop to find the extra funds needed for back-to-school items.And others are having to take even more drastic measures: more than one in 10 say they will be skipping meals and going hungry so they can ensure their child has the right school uniform.But with the cost of living crisis already biting into family budgets, even these measures might not be enough.This is why Asda is working with Buttle UK to give disadvantaged children and their families support to buy school kit via the Better Starts initiative.GEORGE AT ASDA and Buttle UK, the charity dedicated to helping children through financial hardship, are working together to provide school essentials to kids in need.

Joseph Howes, CEO of Buttle UK, says, “The cost of living crisis is impacting us all, but buying school uniform – something that should be a great equaliser for children – is creating extra stress for those on the lowest incomes.“W