More than half of Scottish parents on low incomes cannot afford to pay for their children's school uniforms and equipment, new research suggests.

The study found 56% of families with incomes under £15,000 will not be able to buy all their children need.

Around 24% expect to go into debt to fund essential items, the Save the Children and Family Action study found.

The Scottish Government said it was considering recommendations from the School Clothing Grant Working Group.

Douglas Hamilton, head of Save the Children in Scotland, said: "Every parent wants to make sure they are able to give their child everything they need for going to school.

"We've all seen photos of children on their first day back at school wearing their brand new uniforms and shiny shoes, but for too many families bits of this picture are missing."

He added: "Today's figures highlight just one aspect of the impact of child poverty in Scotland. It is not fair that children miss out on basics such as school uniform and that parents face such levels of financial stress."

Other figures in the survey include:

Of those asked, 53% expect to pay between £60 and £150 on back-to-school costs, with local authority clothing grants on average being £50 per child.

A total of 42% of parents surveyed said they would be cutting back on paying bills or food to pay for school items, while 58% said their children would have to miss out on certain items due to cost.

Some 36% of parents were worried their children would get into trouble for not having all the necessary school items, while 38% were concerned their child would stand out from other pupils because they did not have everything other children have.

Mr Hamilton stressed that local councils have a vital role in helping families experiencing poverty and he urged them to "step up to the mark".

He said: "Raising the level of school clothing grants and ensuring consistency across the country is just one small action that will make a massive difference."

The Scottish Government said it was considering a number of measures to assist.

A spokesman said: "The Scottish Government wants all young people to have fair and equal access to educational opportunities. Along with COSLA, we are currently considering the recommendations from the report from the School Clothing Grant Working Group.

"Furthermore, from this month we have extended the entitlement to free school lunches to all pupils whose parents are in receipt of both maximum child tax credit and maximum working tax credit from August 2009, benefiting 44,000 young people. This will make a real difference for these families - with an average saving of £9 per week for each child."

(www.eduwo.com, Jainlyn&Charlotte)