Our Lady's Convent Celebrates New School Shop
Our Lady’s Convent School (OLCS) is one of Loughborough’s oldest independent girls’ schools. Today it is co-educational up to age 11 and girls only to 18. Early last year the School decided the time was right for a dedicated, on-site school shop and contacted the John Cheatle Group to organise it.
Previously, parents had travelled to Schoolwear Solutions at Oadby to buy uniforms and sportswear, a distance of over 10 miles, but having a shop on the school premises proved much more convenient for parents and pupils alike. The new shop provided a secure environment for pupils to try on uniforms, and opened at a convenient time for parents, too.
Almost a year on from its opening, the OLCS school shop is successfully stocked and managed by the John Cheatle Group. John Cheatle’s Kirsty Ellis oversees the weekly requirements, liaising with Helen Taylor, a parent at the school who also runs the shop. Helen already had previous experience as a volunteer running the school’s second-hand shop. With sophisticated till technology, and a highly efficient stock control system, the new school shop runs very smoothly, as Sharon Pratt, deputy head (pastoral) at OLCS, confirmed: “Having Mrs Taylor running the shop has been great, as she is also a parent and appreciates the challenges other parents face. She also did an excellent job early on, when we had a few initial hiccups. Apart from new mothers with buggies not realising we have a lift to the light and airy second floor, where the shop is situated in our beautiful old building, parents have generally been delighted with the on-site facility.”
All have agreed that the short journey to the top-floor school shop is certainly easier than a long journey to Leicester, and pupils are able to try uniform on before buying at a convenient time during the school day.
Sharon Pratt also outlined another development that the John Cheatle Group has been able to facilitate: “Now parents can order uniforms and sportswear from a dedicated OLCS web page, and then collect the items when they’re delivered to the school shop. Parents really love this personal touch.”
John Cheatle Group is theUK’s largest supplier of schoolwear to the independent schools sector, working alongside over 1500 schools UK-wide and internationally.
ENDS
PHOTO-CAPTION: The school shop is on the second floor at Our Lady’s Convent School
For further media information please contact Bridget Summers, Footprint, PO Box 4, Thorpe Park, Leeds LS15 8WX. Tel: 0113 251 5697. E-mail:bridget@fim.org.uk
