Free school uniform schemes demand is rising

Schemes offering help to families struggling with the cost of school uniforms have reported a growth in demand this summer.

It comes after the average cost of a school uniform was just over £340 for primary school children and around £454 for those in secondary education, government figures indicated earlier this year.

The charity Parentkind produced research this month which suggests 30% of parents go without food or heating to afford uniform and 45% rely on credit cards.

Erin Aston, from Telford Crisis Support, said: “If somebody can’t afford food they might not be able to afford other items like uniform.”

The charity runs a scheme which has been giving free school uniform to children in the Telford area since 2019 and it has grown year-on-year.

In its first year it received 125 requests, but Ms Aston, the charity’s coordinator, said this year it had received 320 requests in August alone and a similar number in July, with those two months the most busy.

The charity is helped by the local authority as well as businesses and community groups.

Buying school uniform could be expensive, Ms Aston said, especially branded items such as blazers and PE kit, which are often in short supply at the charity.

But she said legislation, due to come in next year, which will limit the number of branded items schools can ask parents to buy would be a big help.

Zoe Turner runs a similar scheme in nearby Shifnal, which collects donated school uniforms and then gives them away for a donation of just £1 per item.

She set up Uniforms Together at the start of the year, initially to help parents with the cost of Scouts uniform, which she said was in limited supply at charity shops.

She has been supported by Woods, the local dry cleaners, which cleans the clothing and serves as a collection point and by St Andrew’s Church, which provides venues for the sales.

Ms Turner said 236 items went in her first sale, in April, and another 370 were snapped up this summer, with another sale due next month, with all money going to local church groups for children.

She said her group had become “really busy” and was now taking donations for schools outside Shifnal.

Her next move is to offer prom clothes and costumes for World Book Day, but storage space has become an issue, so she has asked local businesses if they have room they can give up.

Wolverhampton City Credit Union gives a different form of support.

Since last year it has been offering to match pound-for-pound the first £75 paid into one of its child savings accounts.

That extra money can then be spent on school uniforms.

Antoinette Kelly, who operates the scheme, said she believed: “Every child deserves the chance to have a new uniform on the first day of term.”

Last year 340 children were supported by the scheme and she said it had been “super, super busy” this summer.

The scheme is financed by the city council. and she expected demand this year to be even greater than last year and said it was better for families to use offers like this than to get into debt by taking out loans.

She also said Wolverhampton had numerous second hand uniform banks, based at community centres and churches around the city.