We're getting families ready for September

Thousands of families across Hyde and Pinnacle homes are already using school uniform vouchers to help get ready for the new school year. 

Earlier this summer, we sent £50 school uniform vouchers to more than 7,000 households, supporting over 10,500 children. Since then, customers have been using the vouchers to buy school uniforms and other essentials from Trutex ahead of September. 

This is the second year we’ve run the programme and the impact is growing. The 2025 vouchers recently expired, with 1,300 households using their voucher, spending £81k on 13,300 items of new uniform. 

Since we launched our 2026 vouchers, we’ve already had 1,500 vouchers used. That’s £128k on more than 16,600 uniform items, including shirts, trousers, dresses and more. These early figures show the scale of support already reaching families in our homes, but they also sit against a wider picture of rising school uniform costs across the country. 

From September 2026, the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act will limit the number of compulsory branded uniform items schools can ask families to buy to three. This should help lower costs, but many families are still facing hundreds of pounds each year for new uniform. 

This was confirmed in 2023, when the Department for Education’s Cost of school uniforms survey found that families spent an average of £343 on uniform and PE kit for a primary school child, rising to £442 for a secondary school child. Our vouchers help with part of that cost, giving families some welcome support as they get ready for the new school year. 

But don’t just take our word for it - customers are already telling us that the vouchers are making a real difference, from helping with uniform costs to freeing up money for other essentials.  

One parent said the voucher meant they were able to buy “all the new uniform” their two sons needed, including for one child starting school in September. Another told us it helped with both a child starting primary school and an older sibling who had outgrown last year’s uniform.  

For another family, the voucher covered “almost half” of their daughter’s uniform needs for the year ahead, helping them feel more prepared for September. 

It also helped ease wider pressure at home, with one customer saying: “I will use the money I saved from the voucher to purchase essential household items and groceries to support my family’s day-to-day needs.” 

In listening to our customers, it’s clear that uniform is about more than having the right clothes for school. For children starting a new chapter, it helps them feel ready, included and more confident as they settle in, meet new friends and find their place in school life. 

For families, it can bring a bit of relief, helping them feel less stretched and more able to give their children the start they want for them. That’s why we’re doing this, and why we expanded this year’s programme to reach more families than ever. 

If you've received a school uniform voucher but haven't used it yet, there's still time. Vouchers remain valid until 31 October 2026.

Find out more about the vouchers here.