THE education of schoolchildren throughout the borough could be being put at risk because poor parents get no help with buying school uniforms.

That is the claim of the National Association of Citizen Advice Bureaux (NACAB) in a new report that calls for more generous and consistent help with uniform costs for parents on low incomes in order to prevent social exclusion starting in the playground.

Bury is one of only a handful of North West local authorities that does not offer a penny towards uniform costs.

Chief education officer Harold Williams said: "It was with great regret several years ago that we had to stop offering assistance. This cut was made as part of our budget and we have not been able to reinstate it since." A survey by NACAB found that uniform costs range from £105 to £274. Often the only alternative for parents trying to ensure their children can take part in normal school life is to turn to local charities.

NACAB spokesman David Harker said: "Not having the proper uniform can mark out a child as being poor or even being a troublemaker, failing to meet the most basic of school discipline policies. It can mean young people are excluded from the social and academic life of the school. At best children feel uncomfortable. More seriously, they get picked on, choose to exclude themselves, or are even threatened with exclusion by the school."

But Mr Williams defended Bury's position.

"It is not the sort of problem we experience a great deal in Bury. Occasionally a pupil is sent home to change their footwear but I am not aware of any recent cases of a pupil being excluded from school because he or she has infringed uniform policy."

Mr Williams added: "Our schools are enormously sensible when it comes to this issue. Many of them operate their own informal schemes where second hand uniforms are available to needy families. The uniforms themselves have been simplified to ensure they can be obtained at affordable prices from markets."