Uniform policy helps

FORRES Academy has helped families with the cost of the school day, following a Moray-wide report.

Child Poverty Action Group, with help from NHS Grampian, Moray Foodbank, Grigor and Young and the Educational Institute of Scotland, held a conference in February reviewing the barriers, practices and actions involved in the average school day, including getting dressed in uniform.

Findings revealed included: "Uniform costs are causing stress for parents financially and the clothing grant for those who qualify is too low to cover what is needed across the whole year."

Forres Academy head teacher Jan Sinclair confirmed that the school is seeing increasing numbers of young people being affected by poverty.

She said: "We’re very aware of the financial implications for families that school can bring and are committed to doing what we can to ease the burden.

"By issuing all new students with a free tie and altering the uniform policy, so plain black jumpers and not school logo jumpers, can be worn, we hope that this will bring some assistance.

"These are just small changes but over the course of the school year it forms part of a bigger examination of how we can reduce the cost of the school day for our families."

Moray MSP Richard Lochhead welcomes the Academy's commitment to reducing the cost of the school day.

He said: "This is a heart-warming and caring initiative following the powerful report. Welfare reform has taken its toll on hundreds of local families in Forres and across Moray, who have seen their income reduced at a time of rising living costs and there is also rising in-work poverty which is particularly galling.

"By taking a few simple steps our local schools have found ways to help reduce costs for their pupils and their families and I hope schools across Scotland follow their example."