School Days 2024

The children had been increasingly missing school, refusing to go because they were worried they’d be picked on or called out for not having the right uniform. Now they have what they need, the cycle of anxiety around school attendance has been broken and mornings are much calmer in our house.

– Mum

Imagine turning up to your first day at school without the right shoes or feeling embarrassed because your school uniform doesn’t fit properly. Imagine not having a pencil case or a calculator or watching your classmates get stuck into their work while you’re left behind because you didn’t have what you needed to take part.

For many children that’s a reality. But it doesn’t have to be.

School should be an exciting, confidence-building experience. The right uniform and supplies help children feel part of the school community and ready to learn. They remove distractions and embarrassment and support each child in focusing on what really matters – their education. That’s why the Stripey Stork School Days campaign is so important.

We believe that no child should feel left out because of something as simple as not having the right shoes or stationery.

School Days 2024: the stats

In 2024 we saw demand for the School Days service grow. Referrals from partners across Surrey and Croydon increased, and we supported 30% more families than we did in 2023. It’s sad to think that the need is so great, but thanks to the generosity of our donors, the hard work of our volunteers and the power of our community we were able to respond.

Here’s what we provided:
– 1,894 filled school bags
– 2,759 pairs of school shoes/trainers
– 14,301 items of school uniform

In total, 6,727 children from 3,894 families were supported.

Dressed and ready to learn

For many families, affording the right uniform can be a real struggle especially when children grow so fast and need items replacing regularly.

We distribute thousands of items of school uniform each year, a mix of new and pre-loved clothing that has been generously donated by individuals, schools, PTAs and community groups. We focus on the non-logoed uniform as we cover such a wide area and can’t stock school-specific items.  All the items are checked, cleaned and sorted by our brilliant team of volunteers ready to be passed onto their new homes.

What we provide includes:
– Polo shirts and school shirts
– Jumpers, sweatshirts and cardigans
– Skirts and trousers
– PE kits, including t-shirts, shorts and tracksuits
– Socks and tights

By offering such a wide range of sizes and styles, we aim to ensure every child receives uniform that fits, feels good and helps them walk through the school gates with pride.

What’s in a School Bag?

Our support isn’t just school uniform, it extends to school bags carefully packed to make sure every child has what they need. Inside, they’ll find:
– A water bottle
– A notebook
– Writing pens and pencils
– Colouring pencils or pens
– Highlighters, eraser, ruler, and sharpener
– A pencil case
– An activity or puzzle book

For secondary school students, we also add a scientific calculator and a maths set.

This year we gave out:

– 87 for preschool
– 535 for infant school
– 711 for junior school
– 561 for secondary school
– 670 lunchboxes and PE bags

Stepping Out in Style

Our friends at Sal’s Shoes have continued to keep us well stocked with brand new school shoes and trainers. We are proud to be home to one of their Sal’s Shoes ‘Shops’ that they keep stocked with the support of their donors including St Faiths’ Trust. School shoes are one of the most expensive items for families to buy and having the right sized shoes not only ensures comfort but also instils confidence.

We distributed:
– 818 pairs of trainers (639 of them brand new)
– 1,941 pairs of school shoes (1,501 brand new)

Thank you for your speedy assistance with this. It gives me a little lift each time I see the shoes being worn, knowing that one worry has been removed from this family.

– Referral Partner

Levelling Up: laptops for learning

For the first time this year we trialled giving out a small number of refurbished laptops, donated to us by ‘Level Up Laptop Appeal’ ran by a team in Horley. They restore good quality devices for charities to distribute to families who need them. We have not ever given out IT before but working with an established partner who provided everything ready to use meant we could safely and confidently support families in a way we’ve never done before. We’re hoping to expand this support in 2025.

Uniform That Gets a Second Life

We’ve been encouraged by how much pre-loved school uniform has been donated by local families, schools, PTAs, and community groups. The uniform we pass on is high quality and gently used, and it’s being keptuts: out of landfill and passed on to new homes where it’s needed.

Some special shout-o
– King Edwards School in Witley gave us all their stock after a uniform rebrand.
– Salfords Primary School contacted us after a PTA member came to a corporate volunteering
– Reigate St Mary’s donated excess uniform stock from the PTA
– Harris Academy Carshalton donated spare uniform
– Ashley CofE School organised a school uniform and coat collection
– Reigate Grammar School donated brand new stationery as part of their Giving Day

Ellis Scott Schoolwear in Reigate has been a fantastic supporter of our School Days campaign, demonstrating a strong commitment to supporting local families. They donated brand new items to us which enabled us to support older students with blazers that they are sometimes required to wear. They also hosted a community donation event at their Reigate store, encouraging customers to bring in high-quality, pre-loved school uniform items. This not only helped us replenish our stock ahead of the busy summer season but also raised awareness of the challenges many families face when preparing for the new school year.

Going the Extra Mile – literally

The arrival of the Stripey Stork van has really made a difference to the number of families we can support with school uniform. It’s enables us to deliver large volume requests that the referral partner would be unable to collect as well as support organisations further afield. We were also able to make weekly deliveries to our regional hub partners during the busiest months, May to September. Through the delivery service we were able to support 1,792 families.

Pop-Up Events: Giving Families Choice

This year we tried something new – pop-up shops hosted by Oasis Charity in Cobham and Walton Charity in Elmbridge. We provided all items of school uniform in a variety of sizes and families supported by these organisations could come in, try items on, and pick out what they needed.

It was a huge success. At Walton Charity’s event, held at ‘The Bridge’, 77 children from 46 families were kitted out in just one day.

Volunteers: The Heart of Our Work

Our School Days project simply wouldn’t happen without our Team Stork and corporate volunteers. They’ve donated an amazing 1,574 hours of their time this year – packing bags, sorting uniform, and supporting collections and deliveries.

We’ve had:
– Weekly sessions with our regular volunteers
– Corporate volunteer days (up to 20 people at a time)
– Duke of Edinburgh students
– Young people from Woodfield School gaining valuable experience

The feedback from our volunteers has been so heart-warming:

It’s truly rewarding to take a moment, pause, and spend some time giving back.

– Corporate Volunteer

We had a wonderful team volunteering day – can we please book another one soon?

– Corporate Volunteer

And to top it off, our School Days volunteers were honoured with Reigate and Banstead Borough Council’s Volunteer Team Award this summer – a well-deserved recognition of their amazing hard work and dedication.

Looking Ahead

School Days 2024 saw our impact grow and we are pleased that we are able to offer this vital support to families in parallel with our core work. With your continued help, we can ensure that even more children walk through the school gates feeling confident, included and ready to thrive.

There are lots of ways you can support the School Days campaign including;

• Donating your pre-loved uniform. We accept donations of preloved and new non-branded school uniform of any colour, PE and swim kit, and brand new backpacks and stationery. A full list of items we can accept, and how to donate, can be found here.
• Organising a collection of uniform. Please get in touch with us if your school, PTA or community group would like to collect uniform. Email school@stripeystork.org.uk.
• Making a cash donation. This helps us to provide some of the items that need to be bought new, and to meet special requests, for example for adaptive uniform.
• Holding a stationery donation drive. This is a great way for your school, business or community group to support the campaign. Please get in touch with school@stripeystork.org.uk if you’d like help with a poster or any more information about doing this.

If you are a professional working with families who need support with school essentials, please see our referrals page.

I felt like I was failing my three boys despite doing my best to provide for them, and it was even affecting my sleep. I am so grateful for the generous support with school uniform, it took away a huge financial burden and gave me peace of mind. With my middle son, you went out of your way to get him the right size uniform as he is tall so it’s always a struggle.

– Mum