Flintshire school’s uniform and equipment shop a huge success

Flint High School’s new ‘borrow’ shop which was set up earlier this year to support students with uniform and equipment has been hailed a huge success.

The idea for the shop is the brainchild of Claire Evans who, after being promoted in January to acting assistant headteacher with a focus on improving students’ attitudes towards their learning, decided to open a shop as a priority to ensure all students were fully equipped and ready to learn every day.

During form time, students can visit the shop to borrow items of brand new uniform, PE kit, and equipment with the expectation that it is returned at the end of the day.  Each item in the shop has a code and it is tagged out to that student for the day.

Students trade a personal item of theirs as part of the exchange for the item of uniform or equipment. Their personal item is locked away for them to collect at 3pm, when they return their borrowed item. All the returned clothing is then washed and dried daily in school. 

To support students to have the correct equipment for their learning, the shop also sells a basic equipment bundle in a pencil case at cost value, just £1, via the school Gateway app.  This contains a black pen, a red pen, a HB pencil, a rubber, a 30cm ruler, a sharpener, a compass with a mini pencil, a highlighter and a protractor. 

This has proved very popular with parents and works like a ‘click and collect service’ whereby parents pay on the app and the student collects from the shop the following day.

To set up the shop, Miss Evans placed a large order with George at Asda, Queensferry, for skirts, shirts, blouses, trousers and tights in a wide range of sizes, and ordered enough items to make up 100 pencil cases from another supplier. The shop also stocks school bags for students to borrow daily.

Miss Evans recently met with Jan Wilbraham, community champion at Asda Queensferry, who kindly donated 4 packs of boys’ and girls’ shirts and blouses for the shop and has pledged to make a second donation in September, ready for the new academic year

Miss Evans said: “Setting up the shop system has been very exciting; knowing as part of my new role that I am helping to improve attitudes towards learning across the whole school, and encouraging students to take ownership for their education, is so rewarding.   

“The response from the students has been fantastic as they know the shop is there for them if they forget something.

“I am so grateful to Jan at Asda for her kind donation and support, it really means so much.   In the future, I am hoping that other local organisations will come on board so that we can further expand the service and items the shop provides.”