Uniform bank helps to strengthen school ties
Clothing support for struggling families
With the return to classrooms underway, one school is helping families get their youngsters kitted out.
The school uniform bank at Wallace High was kickstarted in 2017 by parents Wendy Mackinnon and Janice MorganSingh, with the twin aims of helping to cut down on wastage and also allowing people of all circumstances the chance to secure well-fitting uniform items.
The initiative, which is organised through the school’s parent teacher network, is currently being run by parent Kate Buchanan, who moved to Stirling four years ago from Thurso in the Highlands.
Kate, who has a daughter in S4 at the school, told the Observer about the role played by the uniform bank and the challenges the service has faced during the pandemic.
She said: “The early thinking behind it was on the ecological purposes because blazers are so expensive to produce in terms of cost and environmental impact.
“I ended up taking over the project because I had more time to spend on it and I just remember being struck by how broad the demographic spread at the school was and how important it was when you put that blazer on that everyone was equal.
“It didn’t matter where you came from and it could act as a way of showing that every pupil was valued in the same way.
“My background in social work made me realise how difficult it was for some parents to get everything sorted for their kids and even £2.99 for some school items can be a lot to pay.
“Before lockdown, we could head up to the school and kids could come to trade their old blazer or we’d have the mums and grannies coming to pick up new trousers or shirts.
“But when the pandemic came, I was aware that things had to be different so I moved things to my spare room and another parent gave us use of a big gazebo so people could head along to me.”
The service, which is now based in the school, is currently helping around 20 families and Kate believes the pandemic has accelerated the need for initiatives like the uniform bank with so many struggling to make ends meet.
She added: “Over the summer, we had people from various places, including the outlying villages, coming to us because their partner was out of work and they didn’t know how they would manage.
“I don’t keep track on how many come in and out but the feeling is that more people are coming to us for support.
“This isn’t a patronising middleclass do-gooder thing, but there’s so little keeping the school community together with no fairs or shows so it’s about keeping that connection.
“We’ve also told social work to help themselves to the uniform bank if it is needed; we don’t have referrals and the service is accessed directly.
“Access to uniform is a real leveller and after the council’s own provisions shut down following Covid, it’s important to help out because in my experience, the harder you are struggling as parents, the more you want your kids not to.
“The support from parents has been fantastic.
“Loads of mums have helped out and one notable dad who ironed a shed load of shirts for us last summer.”