Getting children ready for school with the Provident School Uniform
News article from October 14, 2022
We are delighted to have worked in partnership with Provident Financial to launch our new School Uniforms Fund for children we support in Manchester, Blackpool, Bradford and Liverpool.
In the midst of a cost of living crisis, this opportunity couldn’t have come at a more critical time for the families we support. With many families facing the choice this winter of choosing between heating or eating, finding the funds for a school uniform is far from a priority.
It can be hard to imagine missing out on education due to something as basic as having no shoes except slippers, or no school uniform at all, but this is the reality facing many of the children supported by School-Home Support. Having no school uniform, or no coat in winter, can make a child not want to attend school for fear of being bullied, not fitting in or being too cold. We are incredibly grateful to Provident Financial for alleviating this pressure for many of the families we support, and encouraging children to be in school, accessing the education they deserve.
The Provident Financial School Uniforms fund is accessible to all School-Home Support practitioners in the North & North-West, and allows them to apply for clothing needed for school on behalf of the families they support. This can include school uniform, shoes, coats, underwear, PE kits and anything that is deemed as an essential item of clothing for a child to attend school feeling comfortable and happy. The Provident School Uniforms fund will positively benefit the lives of around 500 children this academic year.
The children & parents that have already been supported by Provident’s School Uniform Fund have said:
“I would like to say a big thank you for helping us out with school uniforms. It really made a difference and took a lot of stress away. Thank you again”
“We received all the uniforms and can’t thank you enough for all the help you gave us”
“I would like to thank all that helped in getting my boy his uniform. Without your help I would have struggled immensely and would not have been able to send him to school feeling as proud as he did in his new uniform. My benefits were recently cut and the help I received meant the world to me. I don’t know how I would have managed without your help”
The families we support are facing increasingly difficult times, with many struggling to afford basic essentials. Thanks to Provident Financial, affording school uniforms is now one less thing to worry about. By ensuring a child has everything they need to wear for school, we know children are much more likely to be in school, and ready to learn.
“This is a desperate time for many of the families we support, with the current cost of living crisis making basic essentials unaffordable. Provident’s School Uniform Fund helps to alleviate those financial pressures and ensures children have everything they need to attend school. We are incredibly grateful for the fantastic partnership we have with Provident Financial, and for the recent development of a School Uniforms Fund. We love working with you to improve the lives of those we support, and we know this fund will make a huge difference to many children and their families” – Jaine Stannard, School-Home Support CEO