School Uniform

A school uniform is important in building the pupils’ sense of identity and belonging to the community of the school. It instils a sense of pride in the school and supports positive behaviour. It is one of the symbols of the ethos of the school and protects children from social pressures whatever their race, religion, gender or background.

There are other advantages to having a school uniform which are important, such as security. A uniform enables pupils to be identified easily and means that any intruders can be identified swiftly.

Our policy on school uniform is based on the notion that school uniform:

• promotes a sense of pride in the school;
• engenders a sense of community and belonging towards the school;
• is practical and smart;
• identifies the children with the school;
• prevents children from coming to school in fashionable clothes that could be distracting in class;
• makes children feel equal to their peers in terms of appearance;
• is regarded as suitable wear for school and good value for money by most parents;
• is designed with health and safety in mind

We strongly suggest that each individual item of school uniform is clearly labelled with your child’s name. If your child wants to wear a hijab, please can the hijab be one of the following colours: white, turquoise, navy or black. Although we love sparkles, please keep those for special occasions and ensure your child’s hijab is plain. For safety reasons during PE (especially gymnastics) we will ask children to wear a sports hijab or may have to ask children to remove their hijab during the PE session.

Cost of the School Uniform

Our school has a duty to make sure that the uniform we require is affordable, in line with statutory guidance from the Department for Education on the cost of school uniform. We understand that items with distinctive characteristics (such as items that have to have a school logo) cannot be purchased from a wide range of retailers. We will make sure our uniform:

• Is available at a reasonable cost
• Provides the best value for money for parents/carers

We will do this by:

• Carefully considering whether any items with distinctive characteristics are necessary
• Limiting any items with distinctive characteristics where possible
• Avoiding specific requirements for items pupils could wear on non-school days, such as coats, bags and shoes
• Making sure that arrangements are in place for parents to acquire second-hand uniform items
• Avoiding frequent changes to uniform specifications and minimising the financial impact on parents of any changes
• Ensuring any proposed significant changes to the uniform policy are carefully decided upon and considering any complaints about the policy

Expectations for our school community

Pupils are expected to wear the correct uniform at all times (other than specified non-school uniform days) while:

• On the school premises
• Travelling to and from school
• At out-of-school events or on trips that are organised by the school, or where they are representing the school (if required)

Parents and carers are expected to make sure their child has the correct uniform and PE kit, and that every item is:

• Clean and in good condition
• Clearly labelled with the child’s name

Staff will closely monitor pupils to make sure they are in correct uniform, understanding that any families experiencing financial hardship are to be directed to the pastoral team for assistance. Family circumstances regarding uniform will be addressed on a family by family basis.

A range of Ben Jonson school wear is available from: