Smart Start
Smart Start: Helping Children Start School With Confidence
Smart Start supports children across Greater Manchester and Salford by providing the school essentials they need to feel confident, comfortable, and ready to learn. For many families, the rising cost of living has made items like school uniforms, shoes, sports kits, coats, and stationery increasingly difficult to afford. Smart Start helps ease that pressure, ensuring no child feels different or left behind because of their circumstances.
Wearing the right uniform can make a huge difference to a child’s confidence and sense of belonging. Smart Start provides families with high‑quality school items so children can walk into school feeling prepared, included, and ready to reach their full potential.
Download our Smart Start flyer here.
All of our services are completely free for families.
If you think you might need support through Smart Start, please visit our For Families page to find out more.
If someone is helping your family (like a teacher, health visitor or support worker), they can visit our For Referrers page to make a referral.
Smart Start has already supported over 21,000 children across Manchester and Salford with school uniform and classroom essentials. Find out more here.
Your donations directly fund the purchase and delivery of new, non-branded uniform packs, fulfilled by our supplier, David Luke, and sent straight to families’ homes.
Your generosity also helps provide essentials through our Family Basics project – including school uniform, rucksacks, stationery, sports kit and winter coats.
By supporting Smart Start, you’re helping local children feel a sense of belonging, focus on learning and enjoy school with confidence.
Back 2 School Quiz
Gather your team and test your knowledge by taking part in our school themed quiz to support local children. Funds raised will support our Smart Start project, providing new school uniform to help local children fit in and focus on their learning. Capture the fun from the quiz with your teammates in the Photo Booth kindly supported by CC5 Visuals. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor for our upcoming quiz on the 9th September, get in touch.
How to Support
- Make a financial donation securely here
- Fundraise with your friends, family, community or workplace
- Donate or organise a collection of school uniform and classroom essentials from the list below. Contact our fundraising team for help with posters, fundraising materials and guidance
- Donations can be dropped off in person or donated via direct delivery from online retailers to 26 Wood Street, Manchester M3 3EF. You can also book our van to collect from your chosen location.
- Spread the word – share our project online using #SmartStart
- Join our smart start quiz
If you would like to support us, please get in touch with our fundraising team at fundraise@woodstreetmission.org.uk
Items you can donate
Donations must be suitable for ages 4-16, non-branded and either new or very good second hand condition.
- Shirts and blouses – white, sky blue
- Polo tops – white, sky blue
- Sweatshirts and jumpers – navy, grey, black
- Trousers, skirts and pinafores – grey, black
- Summer dresses – blue and green
- New footwear
- New socks, tights and underwear
- PE and sports kit
- Winter coats
- Hats, scarves and gloves
- New stationery and pencil cases
- New drinks bottles
- New lunch boxes
- School bags
- Rucksacks
