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01 June 2026

Help with the cost of starting primary school

Riverside news News article

If your child is starting primary school this year, you may be eligible for a Best Start Grant – School Age Payment of £331.95 per child.

🗓️ Applications are now open (from 1 June 2026) for children born between 1 March 2021 and 28 February 2022. You have until 28 February 2027 to apply.

✅ You may qualify if you receive:

  • Universal Credit
  • Housing Benefit
  • Income Support
  • Pension Credit
  • Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
  • Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 The payment is available to parents, carers, kinship carers and adoptive parents who meet the criteria. You can apply for more than one child if they are eligible.

💡 Social Security Scotland usually pays once per child, though there are some exceptions (for example, if a child moves to a new carer during the application period).

👉 Find out more and apply here:
https://www.gov.scot/news/financial-help-for-starting-primary-school/