Why Stoke?

For its pilot programme, Uniformed partnered with two academies in Stoke-on-Trent, The Glebe Academy and The Discovery Academy, with the aim of providing as many students as possible with quality school uniforms for the new school year.

The decision to pick Stoke as our pilot location was not taken at random. For decades, Stoke has faced significant economic issues and shortcomings. Its long history as a progressively deindustrialised city meant that both the businesses and residents of Stoke suffered heavily during the second half of the 20th century as manufacturing jobs depleted, thereby creating large levels of unemployment.

Today, the harsh effects of de-industrialisation, compounded by recent economic crises, remain present in Stoke. According to a Government study in 2019, which examined the levels of deprivation across England, 32.1% of Lower-layer Super Output Areas (LSOAs) in Stoke were in the top 10% of LSOAs nationally - meaning that around a third of Stoke-on-Trent fell into the bottom 10% of national poverty. Statistics like these highlight the significance and dangers of the oft discussed ‘poverty trap’- the cyclical pattern of children following in the footsteps of their parents.

These high levels of deprivation are experienced by adults and children alike. In January 2022 (before the worst of the cost-of-living crisis hit), ~1/5th of the population in Stoke were reliant on Universal Credit. In March 2021, ~6,500 students were recorded to be on pupil premium, a source of Government funding to improve education outcomes for disadvantaged pupils in schools in England. Sadly, this figure does not even reflect the true situation, as it does not include the ~400 students who are eligible for pupil premium, but remain without provisions due to insufficient government funding.

It’s clear that there is a need for Uniformed’s support in Stoke, and we were proud to have helped so many students in our pilot, but the need goes far beyond just our hands alone.

As we continue to work with our partner academies, we also look forward to working alongside other charitable organisations, government bodies and private companies to assist those that need this fundamental support the most.