Welcome!
Welcome to your Blackheath High School Association website. This is the online home for all BHSA news, events info and booking facility & our second hand school uniform store.
The BHSA was created to bring the Blackheath High students of both the Junior and Senior schools and their parents and teachers together to socialise and have fun whilst also raising money for items to be enjoyed by the students at school. By being a parent, teacher or member of staff you automatically become part of the BHSA, and so welcome to the BHSA!
The school recognises the BHSA is of great importance in strengthening the community spirit and culture that supports both the Senior and Junior schools of Blackheath High School and thus is always very supportive of our events and activities. We take this part of our role seriously, creating and curating a series of events throughout the school year that bring the school community together.
The BHSA is a registered charity and the profits we raise from our events and activities go into our funds which are then spent on the students, enhancing their school experience and enriching educational, emotional and physical elements of the school’s offer. This is done through ‘Bids,’ which are made by the school to the charity where is it has identified there is a need for support from the BHSA. These are then voted on by the parent group and if successful the funds are made available to the school so they can complete their purchases.
A huge, heartfelt thank you to all of you for supporting the BHSA. It is entirely run by volunteer parents who are usually busy with their careers, their family, life in general; whether you help with our Coffee Shop, volunteer your time with setting up or helping at an event, donate grown-out-of uniform, give funds via Easy Fundraising or turn up and have a great time at one of our ticketed events it all forms part of the BHSA’s success in being able to create a more fulfilling community-based experience for Blackheath High School students, families and teachers and we are very grateful for your help.
If you’d like to help please email us at [email protected]
Natalie
BHSA Chair.
Shop
Please read the articles on donating and buying to understand the complexities and limitations of our donations-based shop.
The Blackheath High School uniform is designed to be durable and easy to look after which is why as parents we all accumulate pieces that our girls have out grown but are still useable. One of the BHSA’s biggest fund raising streams is the sale of second hand school uniform that is donated by parents. Buying from the BHSA is a great way to reduce school uniform bills, it’s environmentally sound and of course all profits from the sale of second hand school uniform go the BHSA so it’s charitable too!
Donating Uniform
Every item that is donated is truly appreciated, but let’s make it clear what the BHSA can accept:
- Current uniform only.
- Anything perfect or near perfect; slightly marked or gently worn items are great, thank you so much for contributing them!
A lot of items will have a small drop of paint or marker on them, or a thread hanging loose, or even a button missing, for example, that’s ok. (But please not all buttons missing or rips and tears!!)
For every item please:
- Empty out the pockets,
- Wash the items, you’d be surprised how many people think it’s ok to send in uniform with food on it or sweat/dirt. The Uniform Team do not have the time or resources to wash everything so we have to take those items to the recycling bins.
- Cross your child’s name out if possible, but please don’t cut out the labels with the sizes on them; it makes it very difficult for us to allocate the stock without their sizes.
- Check to see if they don’t resemble the below description:
If it’s badly ripped, stained beyond redemption, has holes in it and as a rule of thumb you’d be embarrassed for your own child to wear it please do not send it in to us as no other parent wants it either. There are clothes recycling banks in the middle of Blackheath Village that you can easily use to dispose of uniform that cannot be reasonably resold.
How To Donate:
We hold Donation Days at the beginning of every half term. Please label them clearly for the attention of BHSA – UNIFORM DONATION. Drop them off at either the junior or senior school office who will pass it on to us.
Thank you so much for your donations, we truly appreciate them!
Buying Uniform
Please read these notes before purchasing:
As an online shop we have some unusual issues:
- You will often all be shopping at the same time, so we have created a step in the purchasing process to ensure your basket is reserved for 30mins once you click to proceed to the payment page as it is likely people will be trying to buy the same one item at the same time and we are trying to prevent disappointment or unnecessary refunds.
- Even as a charity we are still charged as any business is by our Card Payment Provider: a fixed amount per transaction plus a percentage. To keep our outgoings to a minimum please try to put all the items you want into one transaction.
- We are not a fully stocked professional shop; we can only sell what is donated so inventory can be unpredictable.
- It’s second hand, so it’ll rarely be perfect. We understand that even at these low prices no one wants to receive a badly ink-stained shirt, or a storm coat with huge rips in it. We operate a policy of trying to cull those items; we would like you to rest assured that we always pick the best item available in your size for you so online ordering should be just the same as going through the rails yourself – think of the BHSA as your Personal Shopper for second hand uniform! That said, sometimes something unwearable slips through, please email us and we’ll try to sort it out for you. But please understand that sometimes items we sell will have a small rip that could be mended for example.
- Once you have bought second hand uniform, please take the time to remove any old name tags, and put your own in. If your daughter loses it you are unlikely to see your uniform again without her name in it. If it’s incorrectly named the school cannot return it to you.
- Please bear in mind that second hand clothes have usually been worn and washed and thus even though they are labelled with their original size, they may have grown or shrunk. We try to assess these changes when allocating stock. If something is sent to you as a “wrong,” size it might be because in reality it matches the size you requested. In all events, we will refund what doesn’t suit your daughter, please just follow our refund guidelines.
- Stock arrives in an unscheduled manner, and is completely unpredictable. If you’re after something specific, keep checking the site.
- We offer refunds if you return the item(s) within 7 days of it being given to your daughter.
- Please remember the shop is run by volunteers who aim to offer a good service to you all. We are not paid staff.
- We aim to fulfil all orders within a timely manner. Our stock is housed within the junior school and thus we are considerate of the school’s timetable. If a delay develops we will try to contact you.
How the Online shop works
Sales:
Choose your items, stick them in the cart, buy them, simple!
Please use School Blazer to understand what sizes your daughter(s) require.
Your order will be collated and prepared for you. Orders are sent out in bright blue blue bags with yellow tags with your daughter’s name and form on them.
JUNIOR SCHOOL Your daughter will be given your order to take home with them. It is usually placed on their peg or handed directly to them by the office staff who kindly deliver all the order bags once the volunteers have fulfilled the order. We use this process as it encourages the girls to be responsible for their things, and it’s the quickest, simplest & cheapest way of getting your order to you. Your order should usually be you within 3 school days.
SENIOR SCHOOL Orders are sent over to the Senior School the morning after we have fulfilled your order. The orders are then handed out by the office staff at the beginning of the afternoon schedule to your daughter’s Form Captain who will then take it back to her form and to your daughter. It is your daughter’s responsibility to take it home safely.
All uniform is housed at the Junior School site. This allows for a swift turnaround of all orders as the Uniform Team can work quickly from one collated stock room to fulfil all orders. Senior school donations and orders are moved between the two sites by the school minibus drivers. Your order should usually be you within 4 school days.
All parents: Please remind your daughters to take the bags home; many is the time that a parent has emailed to ask when we will send them their paid-for order, only for us to discover it’s being sitting on a peg or left in a locker, waiting to be taken home for days and sometimes weeks.
DURING THE SCHOOL HOLIDAYS: It is not always possible for the parent volunteers to freely access the BHSA store cupboards. We always liaise with the school to find out when we can get in to fulfil the many orders that get placed during the holidays, and usually get all orders completed and are collected by parents before term starts. The junior office is not always staffed during the holidays which may mean that although your order is ready you cannot gain access to collect it. Please bear in mind that the shop in run by volunteers, not paid staff, and so these parents might also like to enjoy a break from school and helping out with the charity when it’s holiday time.
Refunds:
We will refund any item you don’t wish to keep for whatever reason. You have 7 days to inform of us via email, and return the item(s) within a further 7 days. Your refund will be processed once we receive the item(s). We do not offer exchanges as they often get forgotten about within the inventory system. Please place a new order for different sizes.
To start a return: send the item(s) back, preferably in the original bag with the yellow label marked “RETURN,” on the reserve side. This is so we can identify who the stock was originally sent to and start your refund quickly. If you don’t do this your return could be confused for a donation. Please take the bag to your relevant school office.
We reserve the right not to refund items that have been damaged or worn since leaving our store.
Events
BHSA events have a reputation for being fun times, and our events timetable is curated to offer everyone a great experience throughout the year. We hope you can join us at some of them. Our events cannot happen with the generous support of Blackheath High parents who come together in small working groups for the BHSA to organise these events. In January we ask the junior school Class Reps to start a conversation within their year groups to see if any parent has a desire to organise an existing or new event. The BHSA is forever grateful that parents are willing and happy to do this – if there is an event you’d like to see us host, please get in contact.
Upcoming Events for 2023 /24
Please put the below date(s) in your diary. All our events are ticketed, and the numbers are strictly limited for H&S reasons. Our events sell out quickly so please keep an eye on our social media channels for early warning.
SUMMER TERM
School Fete, May 19th 1-4pm
There will be face painting, crafts, games, a raffle, Jambs’ Owls, 2nd hand books, games & handmade gifts for sale, a candy floss stall, the BHSA Cafe Bar and more. Tickets are on sale now.
Fathers’ Day Gifting, Friday June 14th
Students at the junior school will get the chance to choose a gift for a loved one to celebrate this day. The gifts are purchased by parents in advance from our website, and will be on sale soon.
Juniors Camp Night, June 15th & 16th
Another weekend of fun activities for our junior school families at the BHSA’s most popular summer event. Tickets will be on sale soon,
Parents & Caregivers Summer Party, June 22nd
Come and join us at a party to celebrate the end of another academic year. Tickets are on sale now
Coffee Shop
The weekly BHSA Coffee Shops are a great opportunity to quickly grab a cuppa joe –or a brew – and hang out with a few other parents after drop off on Fridays. In addition to a wide selection of coffees and teas we sell waffles and breakfast baguettes (sausage, bacon or a weekly vegan special,) freshly made by the school caterers to conform to all GDST allergen rules. We are happy to announce we now offer a selection of milks: oat and soya in addition to dairy. Our very reasonably priced menu creates profits that go into the BHSA fund.
We only accept card payments
Please enter the junior school dining room via Paragon Place. There are steps or a ramp that lead directly down to the Dining Room.
Your pre-school children are very welcome to come too. We have a section of toys for them to play with in the dining hall and most enjoy the sweet treats we sell 🙂
If you would like to add your name to the Coffee Shop volunteers’ rota, please email us. No one is expected to be available every time, only when you can and wish to! Coffee shop opens at 8:30, serves until 9:30 and is usually all packed up by 10am. If you’re volunteering please come at 8am, and bring your daughters with you as they can help set up before going to their forms.
We’re looking forward to seeing you there!
Next Junior School Coffee Shop is: next Friday!
During the term there are assemblies for each year. On these Fridays we also have a pop up stall outside of the gym (where assemblies are held,) for parents to buy tea, coffee &/or a waffle before they watch the assembly – Please be aware that the school doesn’t allow external drinks or food items, except water, to be brought onto the premises as part of their allergen rules.
Class Representatives
Junior School Class Representatives
Our BHSA Class Representatives for the Junior School years are absolutely key to developing and sustaining the community spirit of Blackheath High School. They will make sure their form is fully connected with the Class WhatsApp group(s), – if you wish to be – which is usually where much of the social side of each class gets organised, and is invaluable for all those small but important questions about school life in general. They’ll organise any class-wide social events, and if the class group decides to do so, they will organise donations towards staff and teachers’ gifts, often taking the time to then buy the gifts too – which the school says are not necessary, but are always delightedly received and valued! Please note, there is no imperative to join in on this activity.
Different Class Representatives will run these various elements in different ways but every one of them works really hard to help you feel supported and part of the class, and school, community.
Class Representatives have created their Form Contacts List which will contain your child’s name, your name(s), email address(es) and telephone number(s) This list will be shared with the parents in the form, to allow parents to connect directly with others for school matters, playdates, and so forth. You do not need to join in with this if you don’t wish to, but it is incredibly useful.
If you don’t know who your Class Representative is, please email us at [email protected] so we can put you in touch with yours. They can change from year to year due to free time availability, and as the forms change between years.
Please be aware that if you are unsure of any of the school’s communications it is best to contact the School Office for clarification directly. If you are unsure of something it is likely others are too, and the school would always want to rectify that potential miscommunication for all.
Senior School
The Senior School does not traditionally have a Class Representative for each form. The BHSA is aware that we can do more for you and we are working with the Head Mrs. Argile on this. The BHSA has set up a senior school-wide WhatsApp Announcement Group that all parents from the senior school can join. Here you will receive all the BHSA info. It’s not a chat group so it won’t fill up your phone with lots of chitchat!
Please contact us at [email protected] with how you think we can help more.
Meetings
The next BHSA meeting will be in the Summer term.
The meeting minutes from the last meeting can be found here: BHSA Meeting Minutes – Summer 23
The archive of previous meeting minutes can be found here: Meeting Minutes
Fund Raising
Part of the BHSA’s remit is to create a vibrant community spirit amongst the parents. The other part is to fund raise, raising money for items to be enjoyed by the girls at school. Here are the ways you can help:
Attend our ticketed events
Please check our events page – your ticket money will cover the cost of the event, plus a little profit for the charity to use for the benefit of the girls in school, and whilst attending any event there will be plenty of ways to donate to help us raise funds.
Use Easy Fundraising
This is another way to raise money for us without it costing you a thing. We would massively appreciate your effort to do this as the money is donating to the charity from EasyFundraising, it doesn’t cost you a thing! There is the opportunity to have it set up as an automatic reminder if you prefer.
You can find our easyfundraising page at
https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/blackheathhigh/?utm_campaign=raise-more&utm_content=gs-e1
Bids
Click on the button to read the latest bids for BHSA spending this term. The next meeting is on Wednesday January 17th at 8pm, on Zoom.
The archive of previous bids and results can be found here: Bids Archive
Contact
We’d love to hear from you please e-mail to:
[email protected]
Thank you for visiting the BHSA website.