School uniform

Join the NLWA School Uniform Exchange

Help families save up to £348 on uniforms, cut 1.4 million items from landfill every year, and earn grants, workshops and creative reuse prizes for your school.

Why Join? 

  • Over 33,000 tonnes of textiles are thrown away in London each year, including perfectly wearable school uniforms. 
  • Swapping uniforms can save families up to £348 per year. 
  • Extending a garment’s life by just three months cuts its environmental footprint by 5–10%. 
  • You’ll promote fairness, affordability and sustainability in your school community. 

Rewards & Incentives 

Cash Grants for schools with the highest reuse rate per pupil 

  1. 1st place: £500 school fund 
  1. 2nd place: £300 school fund 
  1. 3rd place: £200 school fund 

  1. Leaderboards & Case Studies featured on NLWA channels to celebrate your impact! 

Win a Free Textile Workshop! 

Five active schools that send in their data and photos will be entered into a draw to win a bunting-making workshop using old school uniforms. 

£100 Grant to Set Up Your Dream School shop! 

Schools that complete three data drops (amount of clothing exchanged) and send us photos of their reuse activities will receive a £100 grant to spend on donation bins, storage tubs, clothing rails, hangers, and signs. 

How It Works 

  1. Sign Up in 2 Minutes: Complete this online form and choose the resources you need. 
  1. Set Up Your Shop: Advertise to your community, collect uniform donations, and choose a date for your first pop-up shop! 

  1. Keep us updated: Send us your photos and total items rehomed across three terms to: Receive your £100 grant, enter the workshop draw and be in the running for cash prizes! 

Why wait? Follow these 7 easy steps to get started:

Number 1

Gather a team of parents, carers, and school staff to organise and run the shop

There are plenty of jobs to go round when running a school uniform exchange, from sorting the donations to working at the shop (and packing away). Make a list of tasks and assign roles as needed.

Number 2

Locate storage area for stock and space to run the shop

Preparing for lots of donations is a great way to get ahead. Speak with the senior management team and site staff at your school to identify a space to store your stock. Choose an easily accessible location for your shop near to where children are picked up at the end of the day. This will help it to be seen and may encourage families to shop with you. 

Number 3

Source equipment

Rails, hangers, storage etc can help with the organisation of running the shop whilst also ensuring the school uniform remains in good condition ready to reuse. Create a wish list of equipment you need and reach out to the school community to source this. Using swapping groups on Facebook or sites like Freegle and Freecycle may also help in sourcing much needed items.  

Number 4

Start collecting uniforms

Using a labelled container (we recommend a laundry basket!), label it clearly with the sticker we will provide to ensure only donated uniforms are placed in there. This will make dropping off donations simple for families and your team. Make sure to promote the donation’s container to families, its location, and the list of items you are happy to accept. 

Number 5

Running the shop

Decide a suitable date and time to run your exchange shop. You can either run a regular monthly event on a set day of the week, or you can run a one-off event.  

Number 6

Record your numbers and share with us!

Keep track of the number of items being reused with our record sheet. After each shop, upload your data and we will provide you with some useful stats, including the weight of textiles saved from waste and the amount of carbon emissions prevented. 

Number 7

Join the network of schools across the boroughs

Find out what other schools are doing, share success stories and more with The School Uniform Exchange.  

Previous Next