More families will receive help getting children ready for the new school year after the Sandy Lane Charitable Trust launched an expanded back-to-school assistance programme, including a $100 000 investment in school uniforms and a new initiative to provide 500 pairs of school shoes for children in need.

But Uniform Factory Outlet director Dean Straker said even more children could benefit if the government waived the value added tax (VAT) on the donation, appealing to the finance minister to exempt the contribution from the tax so an additional $15 000 could go towards buying uniforms instead.

The programme will provide school uniforms through store credit, along with school shoes and other educational assistance for vetted families, with trustee Pippa Challis saying the trust increased its contribution this year because more parents are finding it difficult to meet the cost of sending their children back to school.