Cost of Living Support

Let us know if you’re in financial difficulty

We know that many families are going through a tough time and we want to do everything we can to help you and your child. If you’re struggling with your finances, please get in touch to let us know, as there may be things we can suggest which will help.

At The Blue Coat School, we promote Blue Coat is Green: Pre-loved uniform for our school community. Uniform – The Blue Coat School.

The school does not receive any funding to provide direct financial support for pupils suffering hardship, however, thanks to kind donations from our school community, we do have a small fund that we may be able to access to provide support with some school trips or extra-curricular activities. If you would like to request such support, please apply in writing to the Headteacher ([email protected]) explaining why you need financial assistance. Please note, we cannot guarantee financial support and any support offered is reliant on funds being available.

If your child is eligible for Free School Meals, you must get them registered. This will allow them to get a free meal each day at school, and we’ll get extra funding (known as the pupil premium) to support your child’s learning: Free School Meals – The Blue Coat School

Oldham Council’s website provides lots of practical help and advice options here: Help with benefits and money | Oldham Council in addition to the Holiday Activities and Food programme for school holidays. We also recommend you check if your child is entitled to free transport to school.

You can also:

Contact your local Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) or Family Hub

CAB

The CAB can help you with:

Getting benefits or organising other financial support
Accessing support for essential costs (food, bills, rent)

Visit the Citizens Advice website to search for advice and find your local branch. For advice across Stockport, Oldham, Rochdale and Trafford, you can visit: Citizens Advice (casort.org).

Family Hub

Family Hubs ensure families with children aged 0-19 can access integrated early help to overcome difficulties and build stronger relationships. Learn more and find your local hub: Family Hubs Network – Helping local authorities and VCS help families.

Tax Check

Use the MoneySavingExpert free tax code calculator to give you a rough idea of whether you are on the correct tax code, and find out what to do if you are owed a refund.

Benefits Check

Turn2us is a national charity offering information and practical help to people facing financial insecurity. They recommend using their free benefits calculator to check what benefits you are entitled to, as ‘millions of people are missing out on thousands of pounds’.

Support options for migrant families with no recourse to public funds can be found here: Housing and support options for migrant families | Compas.

You may be able to get an advance on your first benefit payment if you are in urgent financial need: Get an advance on your first benefit payment: Overview – GOV.UK.

Support for Carers

Support and benefits available for carers can be found on the NHS website: Support and benefits for carers – Social care and support guide – NHS

Household Bills

Guides and Tools to Help You Save on Your Utilities

It can be difficult to know where to start with household bills. MoneySavingExpert can help you compare your household bills and see where you can cut costs: Household Bills – MoneySavingExpert

Free and Low Cost Food

If you are worried about not having enough food to feed your family, you are not alone. There are a number of places offering support:

Find a Greater Manchester Foodbank. For some foodbanks you need a referral from your GP, social worker or health visitor; others you can access without a referral.

There is a delivery-only foodbank in Oldham – find out how to get a foodbank voucher here: How to get help | Oldham Foodbank

Marketplaces for rescuing surplus food such as Olio for free food and household items in your area and Too Good to Go for low-cost food from local businesses.

If you are more than 10 weeks pregnant or have a child under 4, the Healthy Start scheme can help you get free vitamins and buy healthy foods such as milk or fruit.

This is not an exhaustive list – there are more helpful resources, tips and community projects which you can find by searching online.

Free Period Products

The Blue Coat School offers free period products to pupils; these can be requested from the main office or PE department by any pupil who needs them. Your child can request these products via any member of staff who will be able to discreetly provide, or you are welcome to contact the school by phone or email to request on behalf of your child.

Local food banks may also offer free toiletries and sanitary products.