free School Uniform initiative

Our 2023 free school uniform initiative opened on Monday 8th of April and closes to nominations on Friday 24th of May. The downloads that you need to make a nomination are below.

Some families are unable to provide school uniforms to their children. Shabby or incomplete uniforms have a surprisingly profound effect on pupils. They may get bullied because of their appearance, potentially resulting in low self-esteem, low educational engagement and low academic attainment, all of which may damage their prospects throughout their future. They may be sent home or sanctioned by teachers for not conforming to the uniform policy, which is not only unjust for a child who has no adequate uniform, but has similar adverse effects on a pupil’s progress. Multiple factors contribute to educational disengagement, but many who stopped engaging believe that conflict over uniforms was the point of origin for their disengagement.

The Life House has been providing free school uniforms to primary- and secondary-school pupils since 2011. This helps them to keep participating at school and helps them regain the confidence that they’ll need to prosper. In some cases, this initiative has enabled us to identify and help families in dire need of statutory assistance that were not noticed by other agencies. Families that receive school uniforms may continue to work with the Life House or with agencies to which the Life House has referred them, leading to significant improvements in their quality of life and their children’s prospects.

We accept nominations from schools, places of worship, third-sector agencies and our partners on behalf of families. Our free school uniform initiative opens to nominations at the beginning of the summer term, and nomination forms are available through the link that appears below when nominations are open.

If you’re a parent or guardian and you want your family to be nominated, you’ll need to ask your child’s school if it’s willing to nominate your family to this initiative - we can’t accept nominations directly from families!

All services are subject to risk assessments and to the availability of staff and resources. Please note that the Life House and/or Christian Life Church (of which the Life House is part) reserve the right to withdraw services to those who do not keep to the code of conduct, or as part of a risk-management procedure.

Read the guidance notes and submit a nomination form.