Twenty-seven independent schoolwear retailers were among the first to participate in David Luke’s Tender Academy. The workshops aim to help retailers win tenders following The Education (Guidance about Costs of School Uniforms) Act 2021, which was published on Friday 19 November.

The Education (Guidance about Costs of School Uniforms) Act 2021 will apply certain expectations to schools in England when setting their school uniform policy. While it is likely many schools do not need to do anything, some may need to introduce an updated policy or may not know what they need to do. This is where the David Luke Tender Academy can help, as Samantha Leigh, Sustainability and Trade Marketing Lead, explains.

“The Tender Academy workshops aim to help our retailers win tenders, know where to look for upcoming tenders and ensure they have the tools needed to succeed. After our first successful set of workshops, we’ve already had some great feedback. We hope that by working alongside our retailers, we can offer the support and resources they need to win tenders.”

During the workshops, retailers gained insight around how to write their own tenders whilst hearing peer feedback and experiences in the online events.

Kathryn Shuttleworth, managing director of The Parently Group, adds; “We see that school retail stockists have such a great opportunity to support their schools in ensuring compliance to the new guidance and we want to support in providing the tools that will help independent retailers win. We have been delighted to see so many retailers joining our Tender Academy workshops on how to acquire tender-writing skills within their businesses.”

The announcement of The Education Act has galvanised David Luke’s commitment to supporting independent retailers to add value to their school offering and show how they can go above and beyond.

For further information on David Luke, please click here. Alternatively, click here to visit The Parently Group website.