Pick up free uniform this summer, ready for a new school year!

School uniform is a big expense for all families, but for some families it can cause significant financial difficulties. Not only this but uniform is one of the biggest contributors to a school’s carbon footprint! with children growing fast and uniforms. That’s where Wear & Share Leeds and the Leeds School Uniform Exchange (LSUE) comes in!

The LSUE is one of the fantastic initiatives run in Leeds by organisation Wear & Share (previously known as Zero Waste Leeds). The initiative is in support of Wish 8, supporting families who are struggling or experiencing poverty, and Wish 5, by reducing waste through re-using clothing.

It is around this time of year that parents will be sourcing new school uniforms for the next academic year, where children have outgrown their previous uniforms, and we would urge families to make use of the Leeds School Uniform Exchange!

What’s the impact of the Leeds School Uniform Exchange

We know from its success and popularity that the LSUE has a positive impact on families in Leeds but, more than that, we can evaluate the quantitative impact of the scheme.

From September 2023 to September 2024, the LSUE…

gave out 22,880 items of school uniform, with 16,506 of those items given out in the Summer Holidays
supported 3,656 families across Leeds.
saved 4,576kg of textile from becoming waste
saved Leeds families £388,960
prevented 82,368kg of CO2 emissions – the equivalent of driving round the world 17 times!

The report also mentions that school uniform exchanges are now reaching 82% of schools in Leeds. School support for uniform exchanges is extremely important in making sure that shared uniform is accepted and encouraged as part of uniform policy.

“Whingate Primary School have been lucky enough to have been part of the uniform exchange for a few years now. Parents and carers know that if they need any form of uniform, coats, sports wear etc that they can either get in touch with school or directly with the uniform exchange.
It has been an invaluable resource and has supported the majority of our parents. We have some extremely vulnerable families who need the support from the uniform exchange.” – Claire Beswick, Co-headteacher at Whingate Primary School

Where can I find the LSUE this summer holidays?

The LSUE are hosting various pop up shops throughout August, including attending many of the Breeze in the Park events. Entrance to the Breeze events is FREE if you just require school uniform, let the staff on the entrance know you just want to visit the uniform stand. However, the Breeze in the Park events are a great day out for families, at only £1 per child, and a chance to explore Leeds’s fantastic Parks!

You can find the LSUE at: