Support our Back to School Ready Campaign

At Little Stars, we support vulnerable families across Shropshire. We collaborate with professionals throughout the county who refer families to us for essential support.

Through our "Cool for School" campaign, we ensure children in primary and secondary schools have the necessary items to fit in with their peers. This initiative aims to remove one of the potential barriers children face in attending school.

The average cost of a full school uniform for a child attending Secondary School in Shropshire is as much as £290 and for Primary School it can cost up to £130.

With these figures it's no surprise that having to buy new items each year as well as in-between terms, for one or more children puts significant financial strain on parents. Research carried out by Censuswide found that 73% of parents agree that the cost of buying school uniform and supplies puts a strain on their household budget and nearly three in four (71%) agreed that the financial pressure on parents has increased over the last 12 months.

We aim to minimize this cost by collecting gently-used uniforms generously donated throughout the year. This allows us to build our stock of items for children referred to us. While some items are well-supplied, we often face shortages in specific sizes and branded school wear, particularly for secondary schools where branded jumpers and ties are mandatory. School bags and stationery are further expenses that many families cannot afford, yet they are crucial for a child's school day.

Due to rising poverty, an estimated 1.7 million children attend school in ill-fitting, unclean, or incorrect clothing. In Shrewsbury, 29% of children live in poverty. This number increases to 31% in Ludlow and North Shropshire, and a staggering 38% of children in Telford and Wrekin live in poverty.

We are fundraising to help us purchase these additional essential items for families in need. By doing so, we can ensure every child has a positive start to the new school year.