The Normanton school uniform exchange which has handed out more than 4,000 items of free clothing to parents

In the summer of 2020, when Tracy Morgan first appealed on social media for school uniform donations she could pass onto families, the public response was overwhelming.
Kind-hearted Tracy set the exchange up in 2020.Kind-hearted Tracy set the exchange up in 2020.
Kind-hearted Tracy set the exchange up in 2020.

"Within a couple of weeks I was absolutely inundated," she recalls. "It was a massive success."

Just over 18 months on, Tracy has distributed more than 4,000 items of school clothes to around 800 families free of charge.

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What started as a couple of "pop-up events" that summer has become her life every Tuesday, as she runs Normanton' s school uniform exchange from a cosy unit next to the town's market stalls.

The bank is located nextdoor to the town's market stalls.The bank is located nextdoor to the town's market stalls.
The bank is located nextdoor to the town's market stalls.

The average cost of a secondary school uniform in the Wakefield district is a staggering £267, according to a report published last month by a group of local councillors.

Those eye-watering prices have prompted kind-hearted volunteers like Tracy to set up uniform banks, where parents can access school clothes free of charge.

Packed to the rafters with sweaters, skirts, blazers. trousers and polo shirts, Tracy runs the exchange one day a week by her unpaid self.

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Any pay-as-you-feel donations parents want to leave are passed onto the local Well Project, which provides the premises. The cash is then reinvested into schemes like its foodbank.

Tracy says people's donations have been a "godsend" to those who need them.Tracy says people's donations have been a "godsend" to those who need them.
Tracy says people's donations have been a "godsend" to those who need them.

Indeed, the sudden influx of uniform exchanges around the country carries echoes of how foodbanks started around a decade ago.

"People who come in here say it just takes the pressure off," Tracy, who herself lives in Normanton, says.

"I had a lady come in the other day who needed some football boots, because her high school demanded the boys wear football boots during PE.

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"For the size she wanted you were talking about £50 to £60 for a pair of boots that her son would wear for an hour a week.

Tracy has called for more backing and support for places like uniform banks.Tracy has called for more backing and support for places like uniform banks.
Tracy has called for more backing and support for places like uniform banks.

"She said that she had to decide whether she paid her bills this month or for the boots. Luckily I had some here and she said it was an absolute godsend.

"Being a mum-of-two myself I know how much uniform can cost, so it's just a way of giving something back to people."

Though Tracy says life in July and August is "manic" as demand spikes, there is "constant need" for uniform throughout the year.

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"It’s a steady flow," she explains. "Each week we hand out between 70 and 100 items."

Schools have been criticised for insisting pupils wear branded clothing which parents unable to buy from the high street.Schools have been criticised for insisting pupils wear branded clothing which parents unable to buy from the high street.
Schools have been criticised for insisting pupils wear branded clothing which parents unable to buy from the high street.

The councillors' conclusion in last month's report that expensive uniform was an educational "barrier" seems to have struck a chord locally.

Academies have been chastised for punishing pupils who turn up in the "wrong" clothes and shoes.

Schools' insistence on branded items, at the expense of generic high street sweaters and trousers, is also a bone of contention and has been blamed for driving up prices.

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With more and more parents struggling to meet the cost, government legislation is supposed to be addressing the problem, but it doesn't take effect until next year.

"High schools especially are very particular about badged items," Tracy, 48, explains.

"So parents are struggling to buy branded uniform and the kids are getting reprimanded for not having it. They're either sent home or they're in isolation, and it's not fair on them if their parents can't afford it.

"It's not their fault.

"I totally agree with school uniform, but I do think there are too many logos on items of uniform that don't need it.

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"Removing them would allow parents to go to the high street and just get shop bought ones.

"I think that's the general consensus among families too."

Tracy's adamant there should be no stigma or embarrassment for any parent who has to rely on donations, such is the tightening squeeze on household budgets.

And as someone who spends the rest of the working week with the environmental group Zero Waste Leeds, she takes great pleasure in diverting clothes away from landfill.

By her own calculations, more than 830kg of textile waste has been saved from the dump since she set the bank up.

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"I always say to the parents who come in, "You're doing a great thing for the environment - this is recycling!" she says.

"We’re not a charity, but sometimes people think they shouldn’t admit they’re struggling and get something for free.

"I think having this exchange as separate from the schools helps, because parents might not want to approach a head teacher and say that they're struggling."

Wakefield Council could make emergency funding available to families who can't afford uniform, following the recommendation from the report which landed last month.

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But there is a feeling that more still could be done to help exchanges in their work.

Equally, there are those who've been critical of academies for directing parents to the uniform banks, rather than simply lowering prices.

Tracy says, "I get what the councillors meant when they said that exchanges shouldn't be expected to do the hard work - it should be the schools stopping the logos.

"But that’s going to take time.

"So in the interim particularly, as financially we’re going to have a tough couple of years, it would be great to have more help from the council for places like this, whether that's giving them premises or even just promoting them."

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The council said in response it was looking to "actively promote school uniform banks that are open" and asked anyone who runs one to email [email protected].

Contact details for uniform banks and exchanges across the Wakefield district

Normanton School Uniform Exchange - [email protected]

Sharing is Caring Featherstone Uniform - can be messaged over Facebook https://www.facebook.com/featherstoneUniformBank

Airedale Uniform Exchange (also covers Castleford) - [email protected]

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Hemsworth School Uniform Recycle - hemsworthschooluniform@[email protected]

Small Steps Uniform Bank (covers most of Wakefield, though uniform requests require a referral) - [email protected]

Local Democracy Reporting Service

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