William Penn Primary School

William Penn Primary School, Brooks Green Road, Coolham, Horsham, West Sussex, RH13 8GR

Welcome Stephen Kear - HeadteacherSchool Uniform Policy

School Uniform Policy

Introduction

It is our school policy that all children wear school uniform when attending school, or when participating in a school-organised event outside normal school hours. We provide a complete list of the items needed for school uniform in our school prospectus.

Aims and Objectives

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 fashion 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.

Jewellery

On health and safety grounds we do not allow children to wear jewellery in our school. The exceptions to this rule are ear-ring studs in pierced ears, medi-alert bracelets or necklaces, and small objects of religious significance, such as a crucifix on a chain. The children must either remove these objects during PE and games and keep them in a safe place, or cover them with a plaster supplied from home, to prevent them from causing injury. Teachers will not look after items of jewellery for the children as they do not have lockable cupboards in which to place the jewellery.

Extreme Haircuts

The school does not permit children to have ‘extreme’ haircuts that could affect their health or safety. Extreme haircuts are firmly discouraged as they could serve as a distraction to other children.

Footwear

The school wants all children to grow into healthy adults. We believe that it is dangerous for children to wear shoes that have platform soles or high heels, so we do not allow children to wear such shoes in our school. We think that trainers are appropriate for sport or for leisurewear, but are not in keeping with the smart appearance of a school uniform. We require all children to wear shoes as stated in the uniform list.

The Role of Parents

We ask all parents who send their children to our school to support the school uniform policy. We believe that parents have a duty to send their children to school correctly dressed and ready for their daily schoolwork. One of the responsibilities of parents is to ensure that their child has the correct uniform, and that it is clean and in good repair.

If any parent would like the school to modify the uniform policy, they should make representation, in the first instance, to the Headteacher. The school welcomes children from all backgrounds and faith communities. If there are serious reasons, for example on religious grounds, why parents want their child to wear clothes that differ from the school uniform, the school will look sympathetically at such requests.

The Role of Governors

The Governing Body supports the Headteacher in implementing the school uniform policy. It considers all representations from parents regarding the uniform policy and liaises with the Headteacher to ensure that the policy is implemented fairly and with sensitivity.

It is the Governors’ responsibility to ensure that the school uniform meets all regulations

concerning equal opportunities.

Governors ensure that the school uniform policy helps children to dress sensibly, in clothing that is

hardwearing, safe and practical.

Monitoring and Review

The governing body monitors and reviews the school uniform policy through its committee work by:

seeking the views of parents, to ensure that they agree with and support the policy;
considering, with the Headteacher, any requests from parents for individual children to have special dispensation with regard to school uniform;
requiring the Headteacher to report to the governors on the way the school uniform policy is implemented.

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