BOSSES at Leigh's Citizen's Advice Bureau have claimed schoolchildren are being bullied and their education is suffering because their parents cannot afford proper uniforms.

The CAB branch on The Avenue in Leigh has led calls for more money to be dished out to low income families to pay for uniforms.

Co-ordinator Marie Rice said that the £28 grant for secondary school pupils, £25 for junior pupils and £20 for infants was not enough.

And the voucher scheme "stigmatised" youngsters by forcing parents to shop in certain stores, she said.

Ms Rice said: "It could be putting some children's education at risk. What can you get a child nowadays for £28? Children can be picked on at school if they haven't got all the right kit. They can be singled out."

And Ms Rice added that schools in the area can even expel pupils who do not match uniform requirements.

She said: "Some children have been threatened with exclusion from school. The allowance is far from adequate and failing to meet needs. Children are going without."

Her comments come after the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux (Nacab) launched their Uniform Failure campaign to change thinking in local education authorities and the Government.

Nacab wants a statutory obligation and minimum guidelines for uniform and school allowances throughout the country.

Children in Leigh, Atherton and Tyldesley receive £21 less than the national average grant available when a child starts secondary school.

A survey of 125 local education authorities found that financial assistance with school uniform costs for parents on low incomes has declined significantly in the past 10 years.

A uniform for secondary school can now cost between £105 to £274.

Nearly a third of all authorities including Cheshire, Halton, Salford and Trafford do not contribute anything at all to uniforms. Children in Cumbria can receive between £35 to £44 and up to £90 in Lancashire.

The CAB has also warned school governors to think of low income families before introducing any changes to school uniforms -- including PE kits and special clothing for certain subjects -- and avoid expensive requirements.

A spokesman for Wigan Education Authority said: "We would like to make more money available but financial considerations do not allow us to do so.

"Our budget for schoolchildren grants is well in excess of £300,000 per year which compares very favourably with many authorities in the North-west -- as the CAB acknowledge -- and some pay nothing at all."

He added the £90 grant paid by Lancashire is a one off payment for children in school year seven.