A SECONDARY school has formed a partnership with a uniform recycling scheme to help struggling parents.

Cardinal Newman Catholic School in Hove is working with Smarter Uniforms.

Collection boxes have been delivered to the school and plans are being made for the first “donation day” for pupils to bring in their old uniform.

Smarter Uniforms then collects, sorts and smartens up the uniforms to resell good quality uniforms back to parents at about a third of the price of a new uniform.

Head of School Claire Jarman said: “We are delighted to be able to offer this option to parents and we recognise the continuing pressures on family budgets.

“We know our uniform offers excellent quality and we are pleased there will now be a facility to offer uniforms to be worn again.

“We hope that parents will really get behind the initiative through their donations of clothes and recognise this is also a great way to raise funds for the school.”

Smarter Uniforms has retail outlets at the Open Market on London Road and at the Fair shop on Queens Road.

Plans are also underway for a shop at the marina.

Smarter Uniforms is a non-profit organisation and around 70 per cent of the proceeds of the sale of each item will be returned directly to the school.

This will help to raise much-needed funds at a time when budgets are under pressure.

Parent Anne Amner said: “I don’t always have people to pass our uniform on to so this is a fantastic way to put the clothes to good use.

“Also, to know it’s raising money for the school is so important in the current climate.

“It’s a brilliant scheme.”

The average spend on each uniform across the country is more than £150 per child.

Smarter Uniforms is an initiative which came out of the Brighton and Hove Fair Trade Steering Group.

A spokesman said: We hate waste and love giving these uniforms good new homes.

“Some 300,000 tonnes (£140 million worth) of clothing is still sent to landfill each year in the UK and we want that to stop.

“We are hoping to work with five local schools this summer.

“Cardinal Newman Catholic School and St Paul’s Church of England Primary School are already signed up.

“As children grow so quickly many uniforms are still in good enough condition to be worn again.”

You can contact Smarter Uniforms at bhsmarteruniforms@gmail.com or you can visit via its website at https://www.bhft.org.uk/smarter-uniforms/