School uniform grants will not be scrapped or reduced after a group of teenagers pleaded with councillors last night to keep the benefit for disadvantaged families.

The grant was under review because it cost the Council more than £417,000 in the past year to issue the vouchers, a cost which is expected to rise.

Options such as limiting payments to specific year groups or limiting claims to once every two years, contained in a report to the children’s services overview and scrutiny committee were all dismissed by members last night.

Members heard that it can cost up to £380 for a full school kit.

The youngsters, from Save the Children Our Shout group, based at Canterbury Youth Centre, showed their video campaigning for the need for cheaper school uniforms.

They spoke about how some families could not afford the proper items of clothing and said that students were getting bullied and had low self-esteem because their parents could not get them the uniform they needed.

The teenagers, Martin Stokes, 16, and Tong High School pupils Charleace Kesler, 14, and Nicole Cooper, 15, argued that the £26 voucher for those eligible families was essential.

  • Read more on this story in today's T&A