The Scottish Government is set to support 10,622 school children in South Lanarkshire with £678,000 to buy school clothes through the School Clothing Grant.

The School Clothing Grant was increased this month by the Scottish Government and provides families with primary school children with £120 per child and £150 per child in secondary school.

The support helps families pay for school clothes and shoes.

Applications are still open for eligible parents to apply for the start of the new school year.

Commenting, Christina McKelvie MSP for Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse said:

“Already the SNP Scottish Government has helped a significant number of families in South Lanarkshire with buying school clothes and shoes, applications are still open for eligible families to apply for the start of the new school year.

“Meeting the costs of buying school clothes can be very challenging for thousands of families across Scotland and the SNP Scottish Government has introduced the School Clothing Grant to ensure every child in Scotland doesn’t miss out.

“Being in a uniform not only breaks stigma in school but gets young people in the right mindset for learning.

“This is another demonstration of our tale of two governments as the one in Edinburgh builds a social security system built on dignity, fairness and respect. Whereas the government in Westminster is preparing to cut Universal Credit, which could plunge 20,000 children in Scotland into poverty.”