Our 2024 No Cold Child campaign delivered a clear, measurable impact: over 10,000 new winter coats were given to primary school children across the UK to keep them warm and ready to learn in the colder months.
The campaign showed what can be achieved when Parentkind, PTAs and schools work together.
At Parentkind, we amplify parents’ voices nationally through our research, including the UK’s largest annual parent poll, the National Parent Survey. And we support 22,000 member PTAs, schools and parent councils, empowering 200,000 parent volunteers who raise £130 million every year to enrich education and strengthen their communities. Distributing coats was just one extension of our mission.
We’re still working behind the scenes to try and build this campaign into something that will benefit more children across the UK.
Thank you to everyone who helped make this campaign such a brilliant success and made a real difference to the lives of thousands of children.
If you would like to receive updates about No Cold Child and other future campaigns, please fill in the short form below and you’ll be the first to hear what our next steps together can be.
OUR AIM
Parentkind research has shown that - for parents in poverty - the cost of school represents between a fifth and a quarter of their disposable income. And the cost of clothing and uniform is one of the biggest worries parents report to us.
Without proper clothing, children face more than the bitter cold. They risk illness, missed school days, difficulty concentrating and isolation from friends.
Research shows 175,000 children could be without a winter coat this year. We know demand is higher than ever and, with your support, we aim to protect 10,000 vulnerable children before the first frost falls.
We represent 13,000 PTAs across the UK, plus a further 9,000 schools and parent councils. We know that every community has different needs, and believe parents and schools have a powerful opportunity to work together to meet those needs. Every group does things differently, to serve their school and build a thriving community.
WORKING WITH SCHOOLS
Our network of parent volunteers understand the need within their communities. PTAs and parent councils work with schools to identify quantities and sizes required and hand over to the school to discretely and confidentially distribute the coats to the families who need them.
A leading programme for so many PTAs is the uniform recycling scheme, widely used by all backgrounds of parents and their children. Adding winter coats to that, helps benefit those in need this year, and the following years as they recycle through with reliability and endurance.
Choosing equity over equality in ensuring that a PTA can support its school to bring every child to the same level of readiness to learn and play, benefiting all. Helping those children that are disadvantaged have the same opportunities as everyone else leads to a richer environment.
We are calling on our supporters and the business community to enable us to provide this high-quality coat to as many children from low-income families as possible this winter.
It costs Parentkind £25 to provide each coat, but with a contribution of £10 per coat coming from local funding, a gift of just £15 can ensure a child receives a brand new coat they will be proud to wear.
Parents have the greatest influence on their children’s ability to enjoy learning, achieve at school and reach their potential. But all too often parents are not recognised as vital partners in education, and do not get the right support to help them meaningfully participate in their children’s education. Parentkind empowers anyone with parental or educational responsibility to improve the life chances of children and young people, and build thriving communities We support parents with the challenges they face – providing information, resources and training so they can support their children’s learning at home and at school. We build parent-friendly schools improving their approach to parental engagement through training, and an accreditation programme. By helping schools to identify and implement changes, we improve attendance, behaviour, and educational outcomes. We are the voice of parents in education, advocating for parental involvement in education and policy-making, and ensuring parents’ voices are heard. We carry out research to understand parents’ perspectives on education and the wider challenges their families face. Our National Parent Survey is the largest annual parent poll in the UK. We support 22,000 member PTAs, schools and parent councils across the UK, with reach into 75% of UK schools. We empower our network of 200,000 parent-volunteers to make an enormous impact, raising £130m annually to enhance the educational opportunities available in their schools and meet the needs of their school community. We distribute funds and resources – like coats and other items that families need to boost our members’ local impact.We want to make sure that these coats reach the children who need them most. That's why the coats are available to registered PTAs who are members with Parentkind, as we trust them to make the best decisions that benefit their school. |
About Parentkind
HOW IT WORKS
We want to make sure that these coats reach the children who need them most. That's why the coats are available to registered PTAs who are members with Parentkind, as we trust them to make the best decisions that benefit their school. |
FAQ
The No Cold Child campaign is made possible by our incredible partners:
Parentkind is a national charity representing almost 13,000 Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs) that together help to raise £171m per year for UK schools and children.
FatFace is a British lifestyle clothing brand with 200 UK stores retailing responsibly sourced clothing and has a highly engaged social community.
The Guinness Partnership are a housing association that are committed to the communities they serve and have made a generous £20,000 donation to the programme.
OUR PARTNERS
