FAQs

The Fairtrade School Awards that the Fairtrade Foundation facilitate are for schools in the UK only as that is where we are based. If your school is not in the UK then you cannot become a Fairtrade School through this scheme and will not be able to register on the system.

However, there are Fairtrade organisations all across the world and lots of them have equivalent education offers so please check out your local Fairtrade organisation who will be better placed to support you.

You are very welcome to use any of our educational resources as these are all free to download and not linked to being a Fairtrade School.

No, unfortunately we are unable to accept paper applications. There are a number of reasons for this including storage issues, but we have also had a number of schools’ applications go missing in the post which is very upsetting for the school. The online system is very easy to use and you can upload evidence as you go, throughout the year.

Your existing supplier is always a good starting point – if they can’t offer Fairtrade products, you can find a full list of products, local catering suppliers, wholesalers and shops in the Buying Fairtrade section of the website as well as in the National Fairtrade Purchasing Guide.

You will need to renew your status after two years if you have achieved FairAware or FairActive; and after three years if you have achieved FairAchiever.

At FairAware and FairActive, you will have the option to renew your current award or take a step up to the next stage.

Although we welcome schools with sixth forms, there is a separate scheme for colleges and universities. See Fairtrade Universities.

We understand that it isn’t always possible to switch to Fairtrade products immediately but it is worth asking your supplier if they are able to stock Fairtrade products. You could even get pupils to use their persuasive writing skills and write to your supplier.

Even if you can’t change your supply contract, you can still promote Fairtrade through your own events and personal purchasing.

Firstly, thank you! Your donation will support the projects that we run to bring Fairtrade to more farmers and workers, and to deepen the difference Fairtrade makes to their lives.

You can pay in your fundraised income through a variety of methods:

• You can send us a cheque. Please make it payable to the Fairtrade Foundation and send it to Fairtrade Foundation, 5.7 The Loom, 14 Gower’s Walk, London E1 8PY
• Or click here to see our online donation methods – Credit/debit card, PayPal, JustGiving
• If you would like to pay via BACS, please contact us at fundraising@fairtrade.org.uk or by calling 0203 301 5041

Do let us know your school’s full name and address so that our Fundraising team can send a thank you certificate to your school.

If there’s anything you want to know about your donation or the Fairtrade Foundation’s work, please get in touch on 020 3301 5041 or email fundraising@fairtrade.org.uk

Registered charity number 1043886

Farming is an intensive and difficult job, yet many of the farmers who produce our food do not earn enough to feed their own families. Fairtrade believes in a future where farmers and workers receive a fair price and earn a fair wage, so they can feed their families properly, and work their way out of poverty.

Whilst Fairtrade farmers receive the Fairtrade Minimum Price and Premium by selling their produce on Fairtrade terms, money from donations helps us go further. It allows us to run projects that bring Fairtrade to more farmers and workers, challenge unfair trade and deliver programmes that allow farmers to tackle threats such as climate change and crop diseases.

Your donation will support the projects that we run to bring Fairtrade to more farmers and workers, and to deepen the difference Fairtrade makes to their lives. Examples include:

• Increased assistance to farmers and workers to join Fairtrade
• Training to increase yield and quality of crops
• Campaigning for fairer trade policies
• Climate change adaptation programmes
• Support to women farmers to take more equal roles

Donations are not passed directly to farmers as cash handouts. The aim of Fairtrade is to address a broken food system which currently keeps many farmers and workers living in poverty through unfair trade. We do this through Fairtrade certification and campaigning both within the UK and overseas.

We are a very small team and are not always able to come and talk to schools as much as we would like. Do drop us an email though (schools@fairtrade.org.uk) and we will try our best.

There are also nearly 600 Fairtrade Communities and many of them have been working on Fairtrade for a long time, and are only too willing to help schools work on their award. Check out the Fairtrade Communities Map to find contact details for your nearest Fairtrade community group.

No problem! Get in touch with us at schools@fairtrade.org.uk and we will be able to change the number required on your account.

This is also true for the Alternative Learner Audit.

Not at all. We have had feedback that the learner audit is too difficult for younger pupils so we have developed the Alternative Learner Audit.

This is an ‘audit’ based on a story-time activity called Pablo the Super-Banana. You can order this as a physical pack or download all of the resources from here.

Well done! You can download your certificate by logging into your school’s online account. Once you have got an award, a button will appear next to the FairAware box that says ‘Certificates and Identities’. If you click on this button you can download your certificate and the FairAware logo to use on your website, newsletter or headed paper.

Well done! You can download your certificate by logging into your school’s online account. Once you have got an award, a button will appear next to the FairActive box that says ‘Certificates and Identities’. If you click on this button you can download your certificate and the FairActive logo to use on your website, newsletter or headed paper.

No problem! Get in touch with us at schools@fairtrade.org.uk and we will be able to change the number required on your account.

This is also true for the Alternative Learner Audit.

Not at all. We have had feedback that the learner audit is too difficult for younger pupils so we have developed the Alternative Learner Audit.

This is an ‘audit’ based on a story-time activity called Pablo the Super-Banana. You can order this as a physical pack or download all of the resources from here.

Well done! Your certificate will arrive in the post shortly.

You can also download your certificate by logging into your school’s online account. Once you have got an award, a button will appear next to the FairAchiever box that says ‘Certificates and Identities’. If you click on this button you can download your certificate and the FairAchiever logo to use on your website, newsletter or headed paper.

That is fine. Please email us at schools@fairtrade.org.uk before your deadline and we can extend it for you. If your deadline has passed then your award will expire and unfortunately we are not able to reactivate it due to limitations with our system.