Fairtrade School Uniforms for Bilingual Pupils in Glasgow

06Pupils from The Bilingual Support Unit in Glasgow, which supports children who are recent arrivals in the city and who are new to the English language, have chosen Trutex Fairtrade school uniforms for the new school term after being challenged by their teachers to design and source schoolwear from an affordable supplier.

Some 75 pupils aged 7 to 12 years from the Bilingual Support Unit on St Peter’s Street in Glasgow, felt so passionately about Fairtrade and tackling global poverty, after attending lessons on the subject, that when faced with the challenge of sourcing a new school uniform, they were keen to find a supplier offering Fairtrade schoolwear. After looking at several supply options, the pupils selected web based schoolwear retailerwww.schooluniformshop.co.uk for the red and white polo shirts and red sweatshirts, which have all been made from Fairtrade certified cotton.

Furthermore, the school is now attempting to achieve Fairtrade School status, which is part of the Fairtrade Schools initiative. Measures now being carried out by the school to support their application for Fairtrade status include introducing Fairtrade tea and coffee facilities for teachers and parents, Fairtrade chocolate for school prizes and further lessons on Fairtrade and how it benefits local communities.

Commenting on the new uniform, The Bilingual Support Unit head teacher, Catherine Brown said:
“We are all absolutely delighted and incredibly proud of the way the children, who are all new to English and are from a wide mix of social, economic, linguistic and cultural backgrounds, have adopted and fully understood the issues surrounding Fairtrade. When we initially tasked them with sourcing a new, competitively priced school uniform, they were all adamant that it had to be Fairtrade.”

“Our next challenge is to continue the children’s work and strive for Fairtrade School status. Whilst we are obviously still in the early stages of becoming a Fairtrade School, what better way to kick start our activities than a new Fairtrade school uniform.”

Clare Rix, Trutex marketing director added:
“We would like to congratulate the pupils on their achievements. The fact that these pupils realise the impact Fairtrade can have on the communities and farmers involved in cotton cultivation, clearly demonstrates how Fairtrade transcends language, culture and religion.”

“We hope that by offering school uniforms made from Fairtrade cotton, via www.schooluniformshop.co.uk, it will encourage more schools to apply for Fairtrade status. Furthermore, it will ensure the growth and development of our supplying operations and their communities throughout the world.”