TUESDAY 14 JANUARY from 10.30 – 2pm
Do your children need some more clothing for school?
January can be a financially difficult month however there is a pop up uniform bank next Tuesday at Gyle Shopping Centre. All the items are free.
This is run in conjunction with @edinburghschooluniformbank
We have had a wonderful response to our winter appeal. Thank you to everyone that’s donated so far! Many people are thinking of a charity to donate to this Christmas so why not help a local child via our winter warmers appeal?
Please help us make sure every child has a warm coat this winter. A set of warm, dry clothes can be the difference between a child attending and engaging in school or staying away. Times are hard and families need your help more than ever.
There are a few ways you can help:
Buy one of our winter clothing bundles via our shopping partner Give Today. There are also smaller items that can be purchased. We will ensure every donation gets to a young person in need. Anything purchased will be sent directly to us. https://givetoday.co.uk/edinburghschooluniformbank/
Donate funds and we will purchase any items needed. £50 could provide a coat for a high school pupil and £30 could provide a coat for a primary school child. Every contribution, no matter the size, is appreciated. Donate here: https://edinburghuniform.org/donate/
You can of course buy an item or two of winter clothing and drop it off at one of our drop off points. More information on those can be found here: https://edinburghuniform.org/donate-uniform/
We are expecting many requests for coats and warm clothing in the coming weeks, we don’t want to turn anyone away. Please share in local groups and with friends and family
Thank you
Who likes receiving socks for Christmas? We do! 
We are running really low on socks (size 3 upwards) and water bottles for our clothing crisis packs.
If you’re thinking about donating to a local charity this Christmas please consider ESUB. We have provided clothing items for almost 5,000 local kids and young people in 2024.
Help us keep up this essential work by buying a few items and dropping them off in one of our drop of points:
https://edinburghuniform.org/locations/?amp
Or, you can shop for bundles of uniform via our shopping partner Give Today.
They do the shopping and send it directly to us;
https://givetoday.co.uk/edinburghschooluniformbank
Thank you!
We have had a wonderful response to our winter appeal. Thank you to everyone that’s donated so far! Many people are thinking of a charity to donate to this Christmas so why not help a local child via our winter warmers appeal?
Please help us make sure every child has a warm coat this winter. A set of warm, dry clothes can be the difference between a child attending and engaging in school or staying away. Times are hard and families need your help more than ever.
There are a few ways you can help:
Buy one of our winter clothing bundles via our shopping partner Give Today. There are also smaller items that can be purchased. We will ensure every donation gets to a young person in need. Anything purchased will be sent directly to us. https://givetoday.co.uk/edinburghschooluniformbank/
Donate funds and we will purchase any items needed. £50 could provide a coat for a high school pupil and £30 could provide a coat for a primary school child. Every contribution, no matter the size, is appreciated. Donate here: https://edinburghuniform.org/donate/
You can of course buy an item or two of winter clothing and drop it off at one of our drop off points. More information on those can be found here: https://edinburghuniform.org/donate-uniform/
We are expecting many requests for coats and warm clothing in the coming weeks, we don’t want to turn anyone away. Please share in local groups and with friends and family
Thank you
We’re delighted to announce that Edinburgh School Uniform Bank has received the King’s Award for Voluntary Service – the equivalent of an MBE for an organisation.
This award celebrates the outstanding service of our volunteers who have been going the extra mile to support local families since 2015.
Margaret Civval, Chair of Edinburgh School Uniform Bank, said: “We are honoured that the commitment and dedication of our volunteers is recognised in this prestigious award.
“The service simply could not run without many volunteer hours on a weekly basis to enhance the lives of local families.”
We really need your outgrown coats!
Clear out your cupboards and donate pre-loved coats to ESUB. We work with a number of community spaces around the city offering free to access rails of coats and warm clothing. The need is greater than ever.
We are looking for all child and adult sizes to keep up with demand from our community partners.
Information about our drop off points can be found here:
New national guidance which aims to reduce the cost of school uniforms for families has been published.
Following consultation with schools, families, uniform suppliers, pupils and councils, the new guidance also sets out key considerations to ensure pupil comfort, freedom and happiness.
The guidance, which can be used to form individual school uniform policies, includes advice on encouraging schools to adopt measures that limit costs for families and reduce waste, including limiting the number of items that pupils need and promoting items that can be reused more easily.
The Education Secretary launched the guidance during a visit to Camperdown Primary School in Dundee where she learned about work by pupils to develop a cost of the school day action plan.
Ms Gilruth said: “Every child in Scotland should be able to attend school feeling comfortable, confident, and ready to learn. However, we know the cost can be a significant burden for families and we want to support schools to minimise these costs.
“This new national guidance contains measures for schools to develop and implement their own affordable and sustainable policies that recognise the individual needs of all pupils.
“It makes clear that schools are expected to do all they can to limit school clothing costs for families as part of our wider aim to reduce the cost of the school day. The guidance also encourages schools to develop flexible and inclusive policies which promote generic items of clothing and do not include compulsory branded items, supporting our efforts to be more sustainable.
“Ending child poverty is the central mission of this government and reducing the cost of the school day for families will play a crucial role in this work.”
A spokesperson for Edinburgh School Uniform Bank reacted: “We’re delighted that the government has adopted many of our suggestions around school uniform in their new guidance:
Pupils’ comfort, happiness and freedom to learn and play should be at the centre of considerations about school uniform and clothing, alongside a focus on removing barriers to participation in school education.
Branded items of uniform and blazers should not be compulsory, nor promoted or encouraged by schools.
Schools should avoid including items that need frequent washing or are difficult to wash or dry, and
promote and support arrangements for families to access pre-loved clothing, and
consider the availability of non-standard sizes of uniform, clothing and footwear included within their policies to ensure that all pupils, regardless of their age or build, are able to access comfortable and practical clothing and footwear at a reasonable cost.
School uniform and clothing: Guidance for schools and education authorities
Demand for preloved uniform is greater than ever!
Hosting a drop-off point for the Edinburgh School Uniform Bank is a fantastic way to support your community and help ensure that all children have access to necessary school clothing.
All that’s needed is for us to place a basket and signage in your allocated space, we will advertise it and ensure it is emptied regularly.
If you have a business or community space and you’d like to get involved, please contact us:
Thank You
URGENT INFORMATION
Are you a parent struggling with the cost of school uniform? There are a few ways you can get help:
Take what you need from one of our free-to-access uniform rails at various locations (see the first section at https://edinburghuniform.org/signposting/ )
Apply for the School Clothing Grant from the council https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/schoolgrants They sometimes give the grant to families who don’t meet their standard criteria, if they’re on a low income, so it might be worth applying. There is also info about other grants on our signposting page https://edinburghuniform.org/signposting/
Ask your school if they can help when the staff go back a couple of days before the start of term. We support mini uniform banks at lots of schools and many schools also have sharing rails.
If you have a family support worker, a health visitor, a social worker, or another similar professional you can ask them to see if you’re eligible for one of our Clothing Crisis Packs – please ask them to read the info at https://edinburghuniform.org/refer/
Edinburgh School Uniform Bank has taken another step forward in addressing the needs of children facing poverty by including stationery items in every clothing crisis pack.
This initiative comes in response to feedback from the Child Poverty Action Group Report on the cost of the school day.
By ensuring that children not only have access to proper school uniforms but also essential stationery, ESUB is helping to create a more level playing field.
This move will aid in reducing the stigma associated with poverty and enable children to focus on their education without the added worry of lacking basic school supplies, crucial for fostering an inclusive and supportive learning environment for all students.
This would not be possible without the generosity of our supporters! Thank you!
