School Uniform

The DfE (Department for Education) strongly encourages schools to have a uniform’ as they believe ‘it can play a valuable role in contribute to the ethos of a school and set an appropriate tone’.

At Southborough we believe that uniform should:

• Promote a sense of pride in the school

• Foster a sense of community, belonging and identity

• Make children feel equal to their peers in terms of appearance

• Promotes positive behaviour and high expectations

• Support health and safety standards.

Uniform list

Items of uniform are listed below. The only items which are branded are the school jumper/cardigan, polo and PE shirt. All other items can be purchased from any other shop of supermarket (Asda, Tesco, M&S, Sainsburys, Next etc).

School Logo items marked with * are available from https://www.brigade.uk.com/parents/. 

All orders are placed with Brigade Clothing and not with the school.  Orders will be processed through Brigade’s home delivery service and standard shipping costs will apply (please see their website for further details). Please contact Brigade clothing direct.

Items marked with ** are only available from the School Office.

For health & safety reasons, only small plain stud earrings are permitted to be worn, but please note that Kent insist that all earrings must be removed by the child for P.E. sessions, or covered by tape (brought in from home) again by the child.

Children are not allowed to wear spectacles for P.E. sessions, or in the playground unless we have written permission from a parent or guardian.

Hair should be a natural colour and coloured hair dyes are not allowed in school. Long hair (beyond shoulder length) must be tied back for all lessons. Hair accessories should be small and match school uniform colours. 

The wearing of make-up, including nail varnish, is not permitted. Nails should be natural in appearance and short in length.  Painted nails are not allowed in school. 

No other logo items except that with the school logo are permitted. 

Equality

The school implements a gender-neutral uniform, meaning that pupils are not required to wear specific items based on their gender, a pupil may wear any of the uniform items listed above, regardless of the legal sex recorded on the school’s records.

The school ensures that pupils who are required to follow certain dress requirements, e.g. by virtue of their religious group, are afforded flexibility to allow them to wear a uniform that adheres to their requirements as far as possible.  We request that all items are in line with our uniform colours.

The school ensures that the needs of pupils with SEND and/or sensory difficulties are considered in the uniform policy, e.g. ensuring soft, stretchy fabrics and avoiding intricate buttons or hard seams.  However, where the needs of a pupil cannot be met in the standard uniform policy requirements, the parent/carer can write to the Headteacher to request individual adaptations to the uniform, these will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Second Hand Uniform

The school regularly holds second hand uniform sales run by the PTA, these dates are advertised in the school newsletter and on our website.  Please contact them via the school office should you require second hand uniform outside of the sale times.  

We are always very grateful to receive good condition uniform items (especially school logo items) that your child has grown out of.  Please deliver all washed donations to the school office.  

The role of Parents 

We ask all parents to support our school uniform policy. Parents should ensure their child has the correct uniform and PE kit at all times and that it fits their child, is clean and in good condition.  

All uniform must be labelled with your child’s name. If uniform is not labelled it cannot find its way back to you if mislaid. If possible, we ask that you sew name tapes into items, preferably in the collar or waistband. Handwritten names are often too faded to identify. 

If a pupil is not wearing an item of uniform as identified in the policy a letter may be sent home/the parent called to discuss this.