Schools across Greater Manchester may have just broken up for the summer holidays, but that means parents only have a few weeks to prepare for the new term.
After six-weeks of no homework, late nights, and plenty of summer fun eventually comes to an end, the new school year serves as a fresh start for millions of school children across the UK, but for some parents, guardians, and caregivers, it can end up being a pretty expensive time – with the cost of school uniform often being a bit of a burden.
Luckily though, plenty of local councils nationwide – including a few right here in Greater Manchester – are on hand to offer some financial support.
The School Uniform Grant 2022 is now open to applications.
Unfamiliar with what it’s all about? Well, the School Uniform Grant is government-run scheme ran by local councils that was introduced a few years back with the aim of helping low-income families purchase school uniforms for their children.
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You can get a £200 maximum non-repayable grant, however amounts depends on your local authority and individual circumstances.
Who is eligible?
If your local council does offer the School Uniform Grant, then you should be able to claim it if you can prove that you’re on a low income, or receive at least one of the following benefits:
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Child tax credit
Income support
Income-based jobseeker’s allowance
Income-related employment and support allowance
Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
The guaranteed element of pension credit
Universal Credit
Working tax credit run-on
The School Uniform Grant 2022 is now open to applications / Credit: Flickr
Which councils offer grants? And how much can I claim?
As of 2022, unfortunately only three councils in the Greater Manchester region have School Uniform Grants open to apply to.
Bolton Council, Bury Council, and Stockport Council each have running grant schemes.
Bolton Council – Up to £30 per child
Bury Council – Up to £50 per child
Stockport Council – £40 per child
How do I apply?
Once again, applications for the 2022 School Uniform Grant differ depending on the local council you’re applying to.
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Bolton
If you already receive housing benefit or council tax support, help towards school uniform will be given automatically and you don’t need to apply, and similarly, if you have already applied for free school meals, then Bolton Council will look at help with school uniform at the same time, so you don’t need to apply separately
But if you don’t receive housing benefit or council tax support, then you’ll need to apply for help with school uniform here.
Bury
Payments will be made to eligible families during May and June.
There is no need to apply, as the scheme will be administered through schools to those eligible in the same way that the Bury Council-funded food voucher scheme has operated in the last two years.
Stockport
In Stockport, the School Uniform Grant is for children in years 7 to year 11 at secondary school who receive free school meals.
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You can apply for the grant at any time if you’re eligible and you or your children live in Stockport, but if you do not meet the criteria, you may still be able to apply for the grant if the uniform has been damaged in a fire or flood, or your child has changed schools and they need a new uniform.
If your child is in year 7, they’ll receive the compulsory badged uniform, and if they’re in years 8 to 11, then you’ll receive a £40 credit to spend at the nominated school uniform supplier.
Three councils in the Greater Manchester region have School Uniform Grants open to apply to / Credit: Elton High School
What do I need to apply?
When applying for the School Uniform Grant, you’ll need your proof of address (a utility bill or council tax statement, etc), proof of identity (a driver’s license or passport), and proof of guardianship of your child (birth certificate or adoption papers).
You’ll also need a recent bank statement that proves your income or confirms that you are receiving one of the benefits required for eligibility.
Alternatively, you can use a letter from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
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Can’t get a grant from your council? Ask your school for help
With only three Greater Manchester councils offering School Uniform Grants in 2022, this will inevitably leave many people still struggling to cover the costs, but MoneySavingExpert explains that plenty schools across the UK still offer support to families who need financial assistance with uniforms in a number of ways.
The most common example of financial support schools take is by allocating vouchers towards the cost, and you are encouraged to check in, ask for help, and see what’s available.
It’s also worth checking if your school has any second-hand uniform sales too.
Noel Gallagher says he had to ‘switch off’ Kendrick Lamar’s ‘nonsense’ Super Bowl performance
Danny Jones
Noel Gallagher has revealed he wasn’t exactly the biggest fan of the Kendrick Lamar Halftime Show at this year’s Super Bowl.
In case you’ve been living under a giant American football-shaped rock over the last few days, US rapper Kendrick Lamar enjoyed a much bigger second bite at what was already a bit of a ‘break-the-internet’ moment this past Sunday.
Having been chosen to headline Super Bowl LIX, the 37-year-old’s provocative performance during the Halftime Show had plenty of political messaging and made one VERY big and not-so-subtle statement about fellow feuding rapper Drake, sending those watching and reacting on social media into a frenzy.
That being said, despite being the most-watched Halftime Show in the event’s history, not everyone was so keen on it and one of those people, it turns out, was Manchester’s very own Noel Gallagher.
Noel perfrming at Wythenshawe Park.Kendrick’s Super Bowl meme sent round the world.
Speaking on to talkSPORT ahead of Manchester City’s Champions League game against Real Madrid on Tuesday night (which didn’t exactly go to plan…), the Oasis singer, songwriter and lead guitarist was asked if he was a fan of the Super Bowl, to which he revealed he’s been watching the NFL for some time.
With host Andy Goldstein then searching for his opinion on Kendrick and the Halftime Show, Noel began by saying, simply: “I had to switch it off…
“It was absolute nonsense”, said Gallagher, admitting that while he refused to watch all of it, he was initially confused by “like 300 people getting out of a car for the first two minutes.”
He went on to add that it wasn’t necessarily a personal thing against the hip-hop star that he just doesn’t usually rate “the halftime nonsense”, claiming that “it’s usually artists I don’t like.” When asked about his favourite past Super Bowl Halftime performances.
Truth be told, he said he never typically watches it anyway, insisting that he’s “not interested” in the over-the-top spectacle that $10-20 million and often comes under criticism for its artist selection.
We’d like to imagine a world where the older Gallagher brother and ‘King Kenny’ have nothing but mutual respect and admiration for their respective music careers but it’s fair to say he isn’t keen on the Halftime Show shenanigans.
Don’t hold your breath for a surprise Oasis appearance at next year’s Super Bowl.
You can watch Kendrick Lamar’s performance in full HERE or to see it broken down in more detail, check out the video down below:
Featured Images — RTP (via Flickr)/FOX/DAZN (screenshot)
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Blackpool named the UK’s ‘most romantic’ place for a getaway
Emily Sergeant
It may not be a headline you were expecting to read today, but the best places in the UK for a romantic getaway have just been named.
And Blackpool is sitting right at the top of the list.
In case you hadn’t heard, or clocked the date yet, Valentine’s Day is coming up on Friday, so what better way to celebrate the international day of love in all its glory than whisking you and your loved one away on a romantic trip or day out, right?
While most couples would probably have faraway tropical island resorts or European cosmopolitan cities at the top of their travel bucket lists, realistically, that doesn’t always fit into everyone’s budgets, and often leaves us having to stay a little closer to home… but, is Lancashire a little too close? We’d have to go with yes.
Don’t get us wrong, there’s some stunning rural Lancashire villages and towns that should absolutely be destinations on your lists to visit sometime soon, but Blackpool doesn’t exactly scream romance.
Blackpool has been named one of the UK’s ‘most romantic’ places for a getaway / Credit: Pixahive | Pexels
Despite our initial reactions, it’s true – the Lancashire seaside resort town has been named the best place in the UK for a romantic getaway, according to a research study by travel deals site Tripplo.
The company examined several factors to devise the list of six, including the number of romantic hotels in each city, the total number of reviews for romantic hotels in each town, the average number of reviews, the average Booking.com rating, the average price, and the average star rating – with all hotels filtered using Booking.com’s ‘romantic hotels’ filter.
An overall ‘romance score’ was then created for each location by equally taking into consideration the number of romantic hotels per 100,000 people, average Booking.com rating, average price per night, and average star rating.
And Blackpool came out as number one.
The seaside resort town achieved an overall romance score of 73.34 out of 100 / Credit: Mark McNeill (via Unsplash)
Achieving an overall romance score of 73.34 out of 100, Blackpool, impressively, was found to have 60 romantic hotels per 100,000 people – which is the sixth highest amount in the UK – and an average Booking.com rating of 8.81, while it also ranked as the cheapest, with the average price of an overnight stay being £103.95 per night.
It did, however, have an average star rating for the romantic hotels as 3.55, which is unfortunately the third lowest in the country.
If Blackpool in the top spot wasn’t shocking enough as it is, the rest of the list is also pretty questionable too – with the top six being rounded out by Preston, Bath, Wrexham, Chester, and, wait for it… Burnley.
So for once when it comes to a top 10 ranking, the North – and particularly, the North West – is a very well-represented region, so let’s take our wins where we can get them.
Emily Sergeant -
27th July 2022 
