Free school uniforms available all year round in Salford

With the new school year about to begin, Salford City Council is supporting residents at community hubs across Salford to help local families with its free school uniform exchange at local gateways or Swinton Civic Centre.

Salford families can find free school items for the upcoming school year. In addition, residents can also donate their unwanted school uniforms and drop off school items they no longer need for all local schools across Salford. The majority of the items donated are second-hand and in good condition and there are also a number of items donated which are brand new.

In April, the Department for Education reported that families “are having to pay £442 on average to kit a child out for secondary school, and £343 for primary school, putting unnecessary financial pressure on families”.

In addition, according to parenting charity Parentkind, 47% of 2,000 parents who took part in a poll said they were worried about uniform costs, 45% of those polled planned to use credit cards to pay for their children’s school uniform and 34% said they would rely on delayed payment services.

People can visit locations across Salford to access the free school uniform exchange for pick-up and drop-off at any Salford Gateway (open Monday to Saturday) and Swinton Civic Centre. Donations and items available include: shirts, jumpers, trousers, shorts, skirts, dresses, blazers, coats, school bags, pencil cases and school shoes.

Councillor Jim Cammell, Lead Member for Children’s and Young People’s Services at Salford City Council said: “Every child deserves to go through the school year feeling confident and ready to learn. That’s why it’s important that families who are experiencing the financial strain of uniform costs are aware of the options that we provide through invaluable free services such as the school uniform exchange.

“It can be a real challenge to be able to afford a brand new school uniform as families feel the pressure of rising costs, and we encourage schools to work with families to make uniforms affordable to people who struggle to afford them.

“The team who provide the school uniform exchange service are here to help families across Salford save hundreds of pounds on school essentials, reduce financial stress and ensure their children have quality, comfortable uniforms to wear with pride.”

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill was introduced to parliament on 17 December 2024, with the bill setting limits on the number of branded items state-funded schools may require as part of their uniform: 

• At primary level no more than three different branded items of uniform for use during a school year;
• At secondary level no more than three different branded items of uniform for use during a school year, or four if one of those items is a tie.