The Government has been very clear that it intends to keep down uniform costs for parents. The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill sets out to limit the amount of branded items required at both primary and secondary. It seems some schools have been insisting on as many as ten that can only be bought from one (often expensive) supplier!
In our recent ‘market research’ about sustainable and ethical uniform, many people expressed a liking for the branded items that we currently have, believing them to be smart and that they foster a sense of belonging. We think this is true and admirable. We also want to help families keep costs down though and appreciate that the branded items are typically dearer than supermarket equivalents.
Governors have been reviewing our uniform policy and arrived at the following aims:
- To pay heed to the feedback received in the recent consultation; notably on the demand for a sustainable and ethical parallel option and also to maintain an element of branding.
- To facilitate parental choice
- To reduce the requirement for branded items to key essentials, in line with Government policy, whilst keeping some, and the option to choose more, in response to community feedback
- To support and encourage sustainable and ethical choices for those who wish to pursue that objective
- To enable families to make economical, affordable choices to suit their means and/or priorities
- To continue a commitment to uniform for the benefits of atmosphere, identity and belonging that it brings
- To apply the uniform policy effectively and reasonably
In order to balance and achieve these stated aims, Governors have made the following draft changes to the Uniform Policy, to come into effect from September 2025:
- White shirts or polo shirts will no longer be required to be Parkdale branded, but the option to buy branded polos will continue
- Black jumpers, sweatshirts or cardigans will be Parkdale branded (no change to current policy), but this is to be properly enforced
- School will provide future new starters with a sew-on Parkdale badge as part of their ‘welcome’ pack
- Sew-on Parkdale badges will be available to buy, at cost price, from the school office
- The PE T-shirt or polo need not bear the Parkdale logo, but the option to do so will continue – embroidered or sew-on.
- PE outer-layers need not be Parkdale branded
The changes are highlighted in red in the attached draft.
From September, staff will ‘reset’ uniform expectations and challenge non-compliance more rigorously. We are aware that we have become more lenient post-Covid. Feedback from the community suggests that many of those who adhere to the policy find it frustrating that we do not apply it effectively at all times. We will address this. Our Behaviour Policy will be updated to permit sanctions for pupils whose uniform is not compliant. We recognise that uniform is not always the child’s choice and that it is the parent’s/carer’s responsibility. In the first instance(s), there will be a notification to parents/carers and a small window of time given to comply. Thereafter, the child will be sanctioned for non-compliance.
Feedback: Governors will review and ratify the policy on Wednesday 2nd of July. Any feedback for consideration is welcomed in writing to the Chair of Governors, Mr Dean Wilson, via the Office.