A RAP artist provided over a hundred free school blazers and book bags to children at a Thornton Heath school.

Recording artist Jords, real name Jordan Edwards-Wilks, who grew up in the Croydon was inspired by Marcus Rashford’s campaign against child food poverty and he hopes the donations will, “ease the burden on parents” who struggle to afford the cost of uniforms.

He surprised children at Paxton Academy on London Road on their first day of term after the summer holidays arriving with a film crew and dozens of brand new uniforms. 

Head teacher Theresa Moses said: “The families are really appreciative. They can’t believe that it is a gift. They are so happy.”

Speaking on BBC London children expressed their gratitude with one saying: “I feel very great about it and the fact that it’s for free because the other blazers were like £70.”

While another said: “It feels great that my mum and dad don’t have to pay for it.”

Jords co-founded the Free School Uniform initiative with Jamahl Rowl, a digital marketing manager, with the aim of providing free school blazers to hundreds of children from lower economic backgrounds. 

The school has 50 per cent of students living in households that can be described as within the top 25 per cent most deprived in the UK and 94 per cent within the top 50 per cent. 

In February The Chronicle reported that 127 of the 195 children at Paxton, which is part of the Wandle Learning Trust, were receiving Free School Meal vouchers to use in local supermarket during lockdown.

The school friends launched the enterprise last month as part of Pickni Uniforms and have also partnered with QPR Community Trust on a school uniforms recycling scheme encouraging parents and carers to donate old or unwanted uniform to be recycled or rehomed. The scheme seeks to cut annual landfill waste from the textile industry by 350,000 tonnes.

Further information on the FSU initiative can be found on www.pickniuniforms.com