School Uniform

Our federation 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/carers’ ability to ‘shop around’ for a low price.

We will therefore make sure our uniforms:

• are available at a reasonable cost
• provide the best value for money for parents/carers

We will do this by:

• following the statutory limits for compulsory branded items of uniform and PE kit to a maximum of four or fewer, if one item is a tie
• carefully considering whether any items with distinctive characteristics are necessary, and limiting these items where possible, for example by only asking that the jumper features the school logo
• limiting compulsory branded items to low-cost and/or long-lasting items such as ties
• considering cheaper alternatives to compulsory branded items, such as logos that can be ironed on, as long as this doesn’t compromise quality and durability
• avoiding specific requirements for items such as coats, bags and shoes/trainers that pupils could also wear on non-school days
• avoiding different uniform requirements for different year/class/house groups
• avoiding different uniform requirements for extra-curricular activities including (but not limited to) sport, music and drama
• avoiding requiring different branded items for particular times of the year, such as a branded dress in summer and a branded skirt in winter
• considering alternative methods for signalling differences in groups for interschool competitions, such as creating posters
• considering alternative approaches, including loaning compulsory branded items such as sports kit for competitions
• making sure that opportunities to acquire second-hand items in a timely manner are accessible to parents and carers of both current and prospective pupils, and publishing this information on our website
• avoiding frequent changes to uniform specifications, and minimising the financial impact on parents/carers of any changes
• consulting with parents/carers and pupils on any proposed significant changes to the uniform policy, and carefully considering any complaints about uniform in line with the federation’s Complaints Procedure
• avoiding single-supplier contracts, to make sure generic items can be purchased from a range of retailers
• continuing to review this policy, to ensure the cost of our uniform is reasonable and provides the best value for money