At Congerstone Primary School we believe that wearing school uniform and feeling a sense of pride when wearing it, is an important part of reaffirming the high expectations we have of children’s behaviour and work. Where there is pride in appearance and good behaviour, by implication there is a positive attitude to learning.
Uniform
Daily uniform
- *Navy blue sweatshirt, jumper or cardigan (preferably school style).
- *White polo shirt.
- Dark grey straight leg school trousers or skirt (no jeans, tracksuit bottoms or leggings).
- Dark grey school style shorts (no football or PE shorts)
- Securely fastening school shoes (no trainers and for safety reasons no heels)
- In summer, low heeled, securely fastening sandals may be worn.
- In summer, a blue and white, school style, summer dress if preferred.
- Grey, black, or white socks/tights. (*available for ordering from school office)
PE Uniform
- *Royal blue shorts (no tights/leggings/skins to be worn underneath shorts)
- *Plain Royal blue round neck T shirt with school logo. (no skins under T shirts)
- Children work in bare feet for dance/gymnastics but will need trainers for indoor and outdoor games activities.
- *School sweatshirt/*school PE hoody and suitable *navy tracksuit bottoms/leggings can be worn over the top of shorts/t shirts on colder days. Children will be asked to remove them and complete indoor PE lessons in shorts and t/shirt.
Jewellery
- Watches may be worn at parents own risk.
- One pair of small stud earrings only may be worn. For safety reasons your child must be able to take these out themselves for PE activities (or provide surgical tape to cover them over). If not, they must be left at home.
- No other jewellery or nail varnish should be worn for school. Nails should be kept short to aid effective handwashing.
Hair
All children are expected to wear their hair sensibly, neatly and in a natural colour/style. Long hair should be tied back. Head lice are a problem in all schools and can affect any child, however clean their hair is. Parents should check their child’s hair regularly.
Where to purchase uniform:
• *Uniform with our school logo on can be purchased from the school office using this Uniform Order Form. However, most items on our uniform list can be bought from other clothes suppliers e.g plain navy sweatshirts/cardigans, white polo shirts, grey trousers, skirts etc.
- The Friends of Congerstone Primary School parent community have a dedicated uniform section within their Classlist platform where parents are able to swop, pass on and request items of pre-loved uniform. Classlist.com Congerstone parent invite
Limiting the cost of school uniform
Our school has a duty to make sure the uniform we require our children to wear is affordable, and 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 with 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 cost
- Provides the best value for money for Parents/Carers
We will do this by:
- Carefully considering whether items with distinctive characteristics are necessary.
- Limiting items with distinctive characteristics and accepting lower cost unbadged alternatives.
- Limiting items with distinctive characteristics to low-cost or long-lasting items, for example PE Kit.
- Avoiding specific items, such as coats and shoes, which children may have to wear on non-school days,
- Keeping the number of optional branded items to a minimum, so our school’s uniform can act as a social leveler
- Making sure that arrangements are in place for Parents/ Carers 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 children on any proposed significant changes to the uniform policy and carefully considering any complaints about the policy
Expectations for our school community
Children are expected, unless it is a specified non-school uniform day, to wear correct uniform at all times, including whilst:
- On school premises
- Travelling to and from school
- At out-of-school events or on trips that are organised by school, or where they are representing school (if required)
As a school, we don’t want to spend precious staff resources chasing up non-conformity of uniform when we can spend time helping to foster learning and providing pastoral support.
Parents and Carers are expected to make sure their child has the correct uniform, PE kit and equipment, and that every item is clean and in good condition. It is the responsibility of the Parents/Carers to contact school, if there are any uniform issues.
Staff will closely monitor children to make sure they are wearing correct uniform. They will discuss uniform with any children breaching the uniform policy to provide the opportunity to explain and comply. Children attending school in any incorrect uniform on several occasions will be provided with a letter for their parents which will identify the issue and offer the opportunity for parents to discuss
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 children 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 children
- Allow all children to have long hair (though we reserve the right to ask for this to be tied back)
- Allow children to request changes to swimwear for religious reasons
- Allow children to wear headscarves and other religious or cultural symbols
- Consider making reasonable adjustments in consultation with Parents/Carers based on medical and SEN grounds that have been diagnosed by a medical professional
The governing board will review this policy and make sure that it:
- Is appropriate for our school’s context
- Is implemented fairly across school
- Considers the views of Parents and children
- Offers a uniform that is appropriate, practical and safe for all children
Review
This policy will be reviewed alongside the Behaviour and Discipline Policy. At every review, it will be approved by the governing committee.