School Uniforms
The Zouch Academy uniform is very important to us. It is one way in which we identify ourselves as a school family, and it promotes a strong, cohesive school identity that supports high standards and expectations in all areas of school life. All children are expected to wear our uniform, and we encourage them to maintain an acceptable standard of clean and tidy dress in school. The commitment to wear our agreed school uniform will be a key feature of our home/school agreement.
Our uniform policy is based on the notion of:
‘Look Smart, Act Smart’
At Zouch, we believe that a school uniform is important, because it:
- Reminds us that we are at school for a serious purpose – to work and to learn.
- Identifies our children with our school, that as pupils of Zouch Academy, we belong to a special group, and we should be proud of it.
- Promotes a sense of pride in the school and fosters a feeling of community identity and belonging.
- Is practical and smart.
- Ensures our pupils’ wellbeing — We want to ensure that all our pupils are appropriately dressed at school and protect children from social pressures to dress in a particular way.
- Nurtures cohesion and promotes good relations between different groups of pupils.
- Supports positive behaviour and discipline.
- Enables us to easily identify our pupils when on visits or accessing out-of-school learning activities.
- Above all, school uniform supports effective teaching and learning.
Uniform (Reception to Year 4)
Boys
PE kits should be brought in a suitable named bag. Please label all clothing with your child’s name. The PE kit consists of:
- Grey trousers or shorts
- Bottle-green polo shirt
- Plain grey, black, or white socks
- Black shoes (not trainers)
- Bottle-green school top (current or new)
Girls
- Grey skirt, trousers, or pinafore (green or white dress is an alternative option for summer)
- Bottle-green polo shirts
- Plain grey, white, black, or bottle-green socks or tights
- Black shoes (not trainers)
- Bottle-green school top (current or new)
Uniform (Years 5 and 6)
Boys
- Grey trousers or shorts
- White shirt
- School tie
- Bottle-green school top (current or new)
- Plain grey, black, or white socks
- Black shoes (not trainers)
Girls
- Grey skirt, trousers, or pinafore (green or white dress is an alternative option for summer)
- White shirts
- School tie
- Bottle-green school top (current or new)
- Plain grey, white, black, or bottle-green socks or tights
- Black shoes (not trainers)
PE Kit (Whole School)
Boys
- Bottle-green school top (current or new)
- Bottle-green round-neck T-shirt
- Black PE shorts or tracksuit bottoms
- Plimsolls, or trainers for outdoor activities
Girls
- Bottle-green school top (current or new)
- Bottle-green round-neck T-shirt
- Black PE shorts or tracksuit bottoms
- Plimsolls, or trainers for outdoor activities
Equipment and Bags
Children from reception to year 3 will be expected to bring their book bag to school daily.
Key stage 2 children need a sensible school bag (small rucksack), big enough to carry a packed lunch, pencil case, indoor shoes (if needed), home learning, and a reading book. Book Bags in KS2 are optional in year 4, 5, and 6. PE kit should be in a separate named Zouch PE bag.
In key stage 2, children are invited to have their own pencil case, which should contain a pencil, small ruler, rubber, sharpener, and coloured pencils. When children are ready to write in pen, they will be given a school pen - no other pens allowed.
Other Uniform Expectations and Clarification
Jewellery
We only allow our children to wear stud earrings and inexpensive watches. We would prefer an analogue rather than a digital watch in order to reinforce teaching of time. If a watch is designed for games or making disruptive noises, it should not be worn for school. Other accessories, loom bands for example, are not permitted.
Hair and Makeup
We want our children to look smart, and as a result we don’t expect or allow makeup or our children to have extreme haircuts or colouring that could distract other children or impact on our uniform statement - ‘Act Smart, Look Smart’. Hair bands and clips should be discreet designs in keeping with our school colours. No nail varnish may be worn during the school day.
Seasonal Safety
All children require a coat in school when weather is changeable, cold, or wet. On hot, sunny days, children should be protected from the sun when outdoors by:
- Wearing a cap or a hat
- Wearing appropriate SPF sunscreen that has been applied from home or brought into school for them to apply.
- Wearing sunglasses which conform to British Standard BS EN 18361977 and are of a design and colour compatible with our uniform colours.
Roles and Responsibilities
The Role of Parents
Acceptance of the uniform policy is a key element of our home/school agreement, and we ask all parents who have children at Zouch to support our uniform policy and send their children to school correctly dressed, clean, and ready for their daily school work. Please ensure that all school uniform items are marked with your child’s name.
If any parents would like the school to modify the uniform, they should discuss the request with the principal in the first instance. We welcome children from all backgrounds and faith communities and would not wish to discriminate. If there are religious reasons why a parent might request a modification to our uniform, these requests will be responded to. Similarly, should an item of school uniform be problematic for a pupil with disabilities, parents are invited to discuss this with the principal. We will not treat pupils with disabilities unfavourably.
The Role of the School
Items bearing the school’s logo are available online from our provider, School Trends.
We will make every effort to ensure these items are of reasonable quality and an affordable price. We will endeavour to support families of children eligible for free school meals with a contribution toward uniform costs.
The school cannot accept any liability for loss or damage to uniform or personal items brought into the school.
Acceptance of the uniform policy is a key element of our home/school agreement and staff will raise issues relating to uniform discreetly with children in the first instance (polite reminder) and then contact parents if the uniform policy isn’t followed.
The Role of Governors
The governing body supports the principal in the implementation of the school uniform policy. It considers all representations from parents considering this policy and will liaise with the principal to ensure that this policy is consistent with our equalities policy and is implemented fairly and consistently.