FAMILIES across Harlow are set to benefit from a new school uniform campaign – “Uniforms for All – Reducing Waste, Supporting Families” – launched by Harlow Hive, with Stewards taking the role of flagship school.

Campaign founder at Harlow Hive, Ann Rumelhart, said: “This campaign is about making sure uniforms actually reach the children who need them. Too often, uniforms are thrown away or sent to charities that aren’t local. We want to support schools so every child has what they need – whether that’s inside the school or through visiting Harlow School Uniform Shop. We are celebrating all the schools who get involved on our recognition wall at the MRCT Centre. Every action counts, and every contribution is a success for families in Harlow. We are pleased that Stewards have led the way on this. We welcome interest from other schools to join us.”

School uniforms are a necessary but costly expense, which can leave many families in financial distress. It’s for this reason that MRCT has created the Harlow Community School Uniform Shop, which aims to bridge the gap by collecting unclaimed lost property and donated uniforms at a fraction of the retail price to help families in need.

“We want to reduce the stigma that people feel by using pre-loved clothes or by not being
able to afford items with a logo,” says Fernanda Champness, Harlow School Uniform Shop and Bump to Five Manager. “We encourage all families to access the shop and buy pre-loved uniform. The shop is open to everyone! This is also a great initiative to stop perfectly good clothes going to landlfill.”

Uniforms for all – reducing waste, supporting families

Harlow Hive’s Uniforms for All – Reducing Waste, Supporting Families campaign seeks to encourage all primary and secondary schools in Harlow to sign a pledge to:

Donate all unclaimed lost property to The Harlow Community School Uniform Shop OR

…. have their own low cost pre-loved uniform sale in school
Display a campaign leaflet in the school window and on the school website
Send an email to parents to raise awareness and encourage further donations

The campaign was born out of research showing that many school uniforms were not reaching the children who needed them. The majority of schools will help to ensure that pupils have the right uniform, should they need support, some schools simply bin old uniforms or donate them to charity shops far from the catchment area, leaving local families without.

The campaign celebrates all schools that take part, whether by donating lost property or by running their own uniform sales. Every school supporting the initiative contributes to making uniforms accessible for children in Harlow, and their efforts will be recognised on the campaign’s wall at Bounty Club/MRTC. By highlighting these schools, The Hive shows that every contribution — big or small — makes a real difference for families.

Headteacher Mr Drew said: “We’re delighted to support this campaign. Donating lost property or participating in the program is such a simple idea, but it has the power to make a real difference for families in our community. Stewards is proud to lead the way and we hope other schools will join us.”

“It’s amazing to know that affordable uniforms are now available for families like mine,” said one local parent. “It takes a real weight off our shoulders at the start of the school year.”

“School uniform is an unnecessary pressure and expense for parents,” says Fernanda. “We want to reduce this often unmanageable expense for families so they are not pushed into crisis point. We don’t want anyone to be pushed to using the foodbank because of the cost of school uniform. We want all children to have the right clothes for school requirements at affordable prices.”

Thanks to the generosity of local schools, second-hand school uniform, Tescos and MRCT, children across Harlow are now able to access school uniforms affordably and with dignity. The campaign proves that small actions — whether donating lost property or supporting uniform sales — can have a big impact. The organisers hope more schools will join, so every child can feel confident, comfortable, and ready to learn.

The Harlow Community School Uniform Shop runs in the MRCT Centre in the old Wilko’s shop on a Monday and Wednesday. It provides good quality pre-loved school clothing at a fraction of the usual cost – items start form just 50p, with blazers priced at no more than £3. In the six weeks school holiday alone, over 4,500 items were sold, helping hundreds of families.