School Uniform Policy

Information has been taken from our Uniform Policy (See link below) which is reviewed annually by the Governing Body

School Uniform Policy

Contents

  1. Aims
  2. Our school’s legal duties under the Equality Act 2010
  3. Limiting the cost of school uniform
  4. Expectations for school uniform
  5. Expectations for our school community
  6. Monitoring arrangements
  7. Links to other policies

1.   Aims – This policy aims to:

  • Set out our approach to requiring a uniform that is of reasonable cost and offers the best value for money for parents and carers
  • Explain how we will avoid discrimination in line with our legal duties under the Equality Act 2010
  • Clarify our expectations for school uniform

 

2.  Our school’s legal duties under the Equality Act 2010

  • The Equality Act 2010 prohibits discrimination against an individual based on the protected characteristics, which include sex, race, religion or belief, and gender reassignment.
  • To avoid discrimination, our school will:
  • Avoid listing uniform items based on sex, to give all pupils the opportunity to wear the uniform they feel most comfortable in or that most reflects their self-identified gender
  • Make sure that our uniform costs the same for all pupils
  • All pupils with long hair must have it tied up
  • Allow all pupils to style their hair in the way that is an appropriate style and colour for school yet makes them feel most comfortable
  • Allow pupils to request changes to swimwear for religious reasons
  • Allow pupils to wear headscarves and other religious or cultural symbols
  • Allow for adaptations to our policy on the grounds of equality by asking pupils or their parents to get in touch with their child’s class teacher, who can answer questions about the policy and respond to any requests

 

3.  Limiting the cost of 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 branded items, or items that have to have a school logo or a unique fabric/colour/design) cannot be purchased from a wide range of retailers and that requiring many such items limits parents’ ability to ‘shop around’ for a low price.

 

We will make sure our uniform:

  • Is available at a reasonable

Provides the best value for money for our parents and carer

We will do this by:

  • Carefully considering whether any items with distinctive characteristics are
  • Avoiding specific requirements for items pupils could wear on non-school days, such as coats, bags and shoes
  • Keeping the number of optional branded items to a minimum, so that the school’s uniform can act as a social leveler.
  • Avoiding different uniform requirements for extra-curricular activities
  • 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
  • Consulting with parents and pupils on any proposed significant changes to the uniform policy and carefully considering any complaints about the policy
  • Providing pre-loved uniform for sale within the school

4.  Expectations for school uniform

  • Red sweatshirt or red cardigan with or without school logo.
  • Red polo shirt with or without the school logo.
  • Dark Grey trousers / shorts
  • Dark Grey skirts or pinafore dresses (minimum length requirement, knee length)
  • Red checked summer dresses (minimum length requirement, knee length)
  • Black shoes or closed toed black sandals in the summer
  • Book bag for KS1 (EYFS, Year One and Year Two – these are provided by the PTSA. These are available at the school office.

 

PE Kit

  • Red T-shirt with or without logo
  • Black PE shorts – please ensure these are an appropriate length – if your child stands with their hands by their sides their shorts should be approximately in line with fingertips 😊
  • Trainers
  • Black jogging/track suit bottoms during colder weather
  • School jumper to be worn with PE Kit
  • Red/Black sports socks

 

Swimming Kit

  • Full swimming costume – NO bikinis or tankini
  • Swimming shorts fit for purpose – not surf/board shorts
  • Goggles
  • Towel

 

Jewellery

The only permitted jewellery that may be worn is:

  • One pair of stud earrings (no other piercings are permitted)
  • A sensible wristwatch (not a smartwatch)

Jewellery is the responsibility of the pupil and not the school. Lost or damaged items will not be refunded.  All jewellery must be removed during practical lessons, for example, PE lessons or swimming lessons. If children cannot remove their own earrings, then this should be done at home on the day of PE.

 

School Bags

Key Stage One

Key Stage One children are provided with a Book Bag.  These are provided by the PTSA.

Teachers are able to effectively store these in classrooms and are able to support the children to increase their independence with organising their home / school equipment.

 

Key Stage Two

The children may bring their belongings in their own backpack but this should be clearly named.  The bag should be appropriately sized to carry books.  Children do not need to bring their own stationary or pencil cases as all equipment is provided by the school.  The school encourages pupils to bring non-valuable bags to school. The school will not be liable for lost or damaged school bags.

 

Hair Styles

  • Hairstyles should be smart and moderate in Brightly or un-natural coloured hair is not permitted.
  • Pupils with what could be deemed extreme hairstyles may be exempt from the rule above on racial or religious The Head Teacher will take each individual pupil’s scenario into consideration.
  • Long hair should be tied This is to avoid health and safety risks and ensure that children’s vision is not impeded.
  • Large, excessive hair accessories should not be worn; however, small hair clips or plain headbands are acceptable. e.g. a pupil may be permitted to cover their hair if they have hair loss / illness etc.

 

Make-Up

  • False nails and nail extensions are not permitted.
  • Only clear nail varnish may be worn, children wearing coloured nail varnish will be asked to remove it for the next day.
  • Children are not allowed to wear make- Pupils wearing make-up are required to remove it. 

 

At the Head Teacher’s discretion, there may be exceptions to the above in extreme circumstances e.g. a pupil may be permitted to cover heavy scarring/skin damage.

 

Labelling 

School staff encourage good organisation of clothing and footwear, for example, designated spaces for children to keep belongings in and checking of labels. However, all pupils’ clothing and footwear must be clearly labelled with their name.

 

Clothing and footwear are the responsibility of the pupil and not the school.

If a child goes home in another child’s clothing by accident, for example, their jumper, parents/carers should send the clothing not belonging to them back into school to their child’s class teacher.

 

Any lost clothing is to be taken to the lost property box. The lost property is sorted weekly and named items will be returned to the child. Unnamed lost property is retained for a half term and is disposed of if it is not collected within this time.

 

5.  Where to purchase it

Branded items of school uniform, i.e. jumpers, cardigans, PE t-shirts and school book bags (optional) are supplied by myclothing.  These may be purchased online at www.myclothing.com . All other items of generic school uniform may be purchased from any supermarket or high street retailer. 

 

The school holds a limited amount of second-hand uniform, which is available for parents to purchase by inquiring at the school office at any time. Donations of good quality second-hand uniform are welcomed and the School Council run an end of year non school uniform days to encourage the re-use of previous uniform. 

  1. Expectations for our School Community

 

Pupils

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).

Pupils are also expected to contact Head Teacher using the Office email address; office@ashlandsprimary.school if they want to request an amendment to the uniform policy in relation to their protected characteristics.

 

Parents and Carers

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

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

 

Parents are also expected to contact the Head Teacher using the Office email address; office@ashlandsprimary.school if they want to request an amendment to the uniform policy in relation to:

  • Their child’s protected characteristics
  • The cost of the uniform

Parents are expected to lodge any complaints or objections relating to the school uniform in a timely and reasonable manner.

  • Disputes about the cost of the school uniform will be:
  • Resolved locally
  • Dealt with in accordance with our school’s complaints policy
  • The school will work closely with parents to arrive at a mutually acceptable

7.  Staff

Staff will closely monitor pupils to make sure they are in correct uniform. They will give any pupils and families breaching the uniform policy the opportunity to comply, but will follow up with the headteacher if the situation doesn’t improve.

Ongoing breaches of our uniform policy will be dealt with by the Behaviour and Relationships Policy.

In cases where it is suspected that financial hardship has resulted in a pupil not complying with this uniform policy, staff will take a mindful and considerate approach to resolving the situation.

 

8.  Governors

The governing board will review this policy and make sure that it:

  • Is appropriate for our school’s context
  • Is implemented fairly across the school
  • Takes into account the views of parents and pupils
  • Offers a uniform that is appropriate, practical and safe for all pupils

 

The board will also make sure that the school’s uniform supplier arrangements give the highest priority to cost and value for money, for example by avoiding single supplier contracts and by re-tendering contracts at least every 5 years.

 

9.  Monitoring arrangements

This policy will be reviewed every 12 months. At every review, it will be approved by the full governing.