MANAGING YOUR PTA – Second-hand uniform
THE SCHOOL SHOP PTA chair Lynn Gadsby set up a dedicated uniform shop at
Tonbridge Grammar School in Tonbridge, Kent (1,182 pupils).
‘We decided to overhaul our second-hand uniform service last year. The school allocated us an area for a shop, we agreed to spend £500 of PTA money to refurbish it, and we use PTA Events to sell online. One parent donated £200 towards a washing machine and another answered our call for a laptop. We bought an airer, iron, ironing
around £1,000 a year for the school. Sales are promoted in our PTA
newsletter and on our three noticeboards. They are also listed on our PTA website and posted in our Facebook group. We recently invested in a waterproof two-metre banner displaying the words “Preloved Uniform Sale This Week”, which we attach to the school gates. As a final reminder, parents are sent a text on the week of each sale. Donations are accepted all year
round into the PTA drop box in the school foyer. When the box is full, we empty it, sort the items and store in the appropriate place. We accept all uniform and PE kit, whether branded or plain, and ask that everything is washed. Before each sale, we check lost property and add unlabelled items to the sale. To encourage people to label their
uniform, the PTA has partnerships with three labelling companies, Stamptastic, Stikins and Mine4Sure. All three donate to our PTA when people make a purchase using our school’s unique code. Unsaleable, non-branded uniform is stored in the shed ready for our next Bag2School textile collection, and PTA helpers have turned some of it into “jumper bunting” for using as decoration at PTA events. Our shed is tidy, waterproof and
secure, with sturdy shelving for storage. After each sale, we put our carefully labelled boxes of uniform back on the shelves so everything is ready for next time.’
pta.co.uk SUMMER 2020 23 2020
board and kettle, as well as storage units from IKEA. The shop is open every Tuesday and is staffed by four PTA volunteers on a rota basis. Parents are happy to buy from our shop because everything is in such good condition and is well-displayed. If an item comes to us in
worn condition we give it to the school, as they maintain a stock for parents who genuinely can’t afford uniform, and they also keep a box of old clothing in case of accidents. The PTA also keeps many of the unsaleable items for our
fundraisers: we make Christmas decorations from old uniform, and we have made PTA bunting from old school dresses. Prices in the shop are around
a third of the cost of new items. Students are encouraged to try things on, and parents can order using our online shop, where we accept credit cards and Stripe. Volunteers pack up the orders, and they are given to the girls to take home. PTA members who attend meetings and help out get a code for 25% off in the shop. Our volunteers work hard, and
last year we made £6,500 just from selling uniform. We opened the shop on the Year 7 induction day and made £1,500 from new parents alone.’
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