Community Guidelines

SchoolCart is a friendly place for families at the same school to pass on things their children have outgrown. It saves money, reduces waste and makes the school run a little easier. These guidelines help everyone feel welcome and safe. They sit alongside our Terms & Conditions and Prohibited items list.

• Describe items truthfully: size, condition and any stains, marks, holes or missing parts.
• Use your own photos of the actual item, in good light. Do not use pictures from shops or other listings.
• Choose the right school, category and size so people can find it.
• If something is sold or no longer available, mark it so, or unpublish it.

• Treat every member as you would like to be treated at the school gate.
• No harassment, bullying, threats, hate speech or discrimination of any kind.
• Reply politely, even if you are saying no. If you decide not to take something, say so.
• Nobody owes you a reply straight away. Families are busy, so give people time.
• Keep messages about the item and the handover. No spam, adverts or chain messages.

• Use SchoolCart's private messages. Please do not share phone numbers, email addresses, social media names or home addresses in listings or messages.
• Do not ask other members for their personal details, and do not share anyone else's.
• Do not take someone out of SchoolCart to deal elsewhere, and never ask anyone to pay you in advance or send money before they have seen an item.
• SchoolCart never takes payments. If anyone, including someone claiming to be SchoolCart, asks for card or bank details, do not give them and report it.

• Photograph the item only, laid flat or on a hanger. No children, no faces.
• Remove or hide name-tapes, badges and labels that show a child's name before you take a photo.
• Never share a child's name, age, photo, class, timetable or where they will be. If you are asked for any of these, say no and report the message.

• Only ask to reserve an item you genuinely intend to collect.
• A reserved item is held for the buyer for 7 days. Agree a handover time within that period.
• If your plans change, cancel the reservation (buyers) or release the item (sellers) so someone else can have it. Please do not leave people waiting.
• Sellers: do not accept a reservation and then sell the item somewhere else.

• Use the school run where you can. It is public, familiar and quick. If you arrange another place, choose somewhere public and well lit.
• Do not invite people to your home, or go to theirs, to collect something.
• Look the item over at handover. If it is not as described, you can politely decline it.
• Trust your instincts. If something feels wrong, leave and report it.
• Agree any price in the messages beforehand and settle up in person. Keep it simple and avoid sending money in advance.

• Price pre-loved items sensibly. SchoolCart is about passing things on, not making a profit. Giving things away for free is always welcome.
• It is for families, not shops. Do not use SchoolCart to run a business or to resell items you have bought in bulk.
• Be inclusive. Some families need to save every penny, so be understanding with each other.

If you see a listing or message that breaks these guidelines, or something makes you uncomfortable, please tell us so we can look into it. You can also block any member, which stops them from messaging you or seeing your listings.

If a child is at risk of harm, or someone is in immediate danger, contact the police on 999 first.

Depending on how serious it is, we may remove a listing or message, send a warning, suspend an account, or close it for good. Where there is a risk to someone's safety we may act straight away and, where the law requires it, tell the authorities. If you think we have got a decision wrong, you can ask us to look at it again.