School clothing project tackling cost of living pressures

Schools across North Tyneside are offering families support to get their children clothing for school, thanks to a project by North Tyneside Council.

20 schools in the borough are setting up their own pre-loved uniform and school appropriate clothing swap shops to help tackle the rising cost of living.

Covering everything needed for school including uniform, coats, shoes, PE kits and more the support is designed to address the financial pressure of buying school appropriate clothing each year.

With many schools already having uniform and clothing support in place, the Council’s team is helping to tailor the offer in each school to meet the needs of their pupils and families. 

It’s a borough wide project and last week, representatives from a range of schools came together to support the first ever school uniform and clothing summit.

Supported by North Tyneside Council, the event gave schools an opportunity to share the fantastic work they’re doing, seek advice and guidance from each other and share their best practice.

Children North East presented at the event, looking at the insightful information they’ve gathered from their ongoing national work. Its nationally recognised poverty proofing audit was on offer for local schools too, to help reduce any barriers for pupils living in poverty.

A guest speaker, Sarah Corrigan, Chair of the Friends Of Benton Dene (FOBS PTA), from Benton Dene Primary spoke about the school’s ‘Little Green Shed’ project. Ran by a group of volunteers from a dedicated container bought for the project, its sees school uniform donated, sorted into age, year group, zone and then collected by those who need the support.

That’s just one of many brilliant examples of the uniform support that’s on offer for residents, and the Council’s support is helping to update uniform policies, increase web presence and overcome any barriers or challenges they may face.

Jacqueline Laughton, Assistant Chief Executive at North Tyneside Council, said: “Every school supports their families in a different way and it’s brilliant to see so many schools establishing uniform support schemes to help ease the pressure on parents and carers.

“Our participation team are playing a key role in supporting schools to establish their own support and the summit was a great way for schools to hear from others who may be further on with their support to see what is proving successful.

“We know that the cost of school uniform can be a concern for some and these schemes are extremely beneficial to many. It’s great to see our local schools being proactive, and there’s the added benefit of reducing clothing waste too.”

Contact your school to find out what options are available for your child(ren).