School Uniform Issues
Dear Parents and Carers,
Recently I was made aware that there had been issues raised by some of our parents who had purchased uniform with an incorrect logo from our official supplier: School Trends. This should not have happened.
In response we have been trying to contact the company in order to get replacements for every piece of uniform purchased with an incorrect logo. At this point I was not aware of the extent of dissatisfaction with School Trends, I was just focused on getting replacements for those parents who had received items with the incorrect school logo embroidered on.
A day or so ago I was listening to Toby Foster's morning show on Radio Sheffield and there was a discussion about School Trends. I was shocked to learn about the scale of the problems faced by parents regarding the supply and in some cases the quality of new uniform that had already been purchased from School Trends.
An excellent point was made on Toby's show as to why schools do not have more than one official supplier. It was suggested that to have more than one supplier would give parents and carers more options and create a positive competition between the official suppliers that would hopefully result in better quality products and customer service.
After trying to contact School Trends we decided to start reviewing our options. I am certainly keen that going forward we will no longer rely on a single supplier.
As I have just mentioned, I am hoping to meet with a representative of School Trends soon in order to discuss the issues around customer service, supply and product quality and it would really help me if I could have some real examples to share. I would therefore be grateful if those of you who have had negative experiences would share them with me. If you would like to help me, please send an email detailing your issue(s) to our 'enquiries@st-johnfisher.org' address with the title:
SCHOOL TRENDS UNIFORM ISSUES - YOUR NAME
Please leave off your name if you would prefer to remain anonymous but still want to share your issue, and I will delete the address before I pass it on.
For those of you happy for your name and contact details to be shared, I will pass on your emails so that hopefully each of you will receive an individual response from School Trends and an apology. That is certainly what I will be asking for. Please also attach photographs which illustrate and exemplify your concerns.
Our smart SJF uniform is key to the identity of our special school and the Governors and I are so appreciative of all you do as parents and carers to support us by ensuring that your children look smart when they come to school every day.
Of course we will be understanding where children do not have all the correct items of uniform because it has been ordered from School Trends, paid for but has simply not arrived. Just let me know when you email, and I will share with teachers. You can also email the class teachers directly via the class emails.
Finally I would like to apologise sincerely for the annoyance and inconvenience caused by this debacle. The situation faced by parents across Sheffield who have been let down by School Trends is simply unacceptable and I want to act on behalf of SJF parents to put things right.
Kind regards,
Mr Barratt
Headteacher
