School Uniform Policy

Why do we have uniform at Hinderton?

We believe that a school uniform is important:

• It looks smart

• Wears well

• Contributes to a sense of belonging and community

• Signifies the wearer as a child among a group of other children

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

• Fosters a feeling of pride

• Is designed with health and safety in mind

• Creates a predictable daily routine which is vital for our pupils and helps them distinguish between school days and home days.

• Prevents the inevitable loss of self-esteem caused to individual children should a family not be able or willing to provide the newest, most expensive or most fashionable clothing and equipment.

We ask that all children wear the uniform and encourage parents to maintain a good standard of clean and tidy dress for their child on arrival in school.

The uniform is designed to be practical, maintainable and good value for money.

Hair accessories, should be fairly simple and if possible in school colours. We would request that large ribbons, bows, and other hair accessories are not sent to school please.

Parents are asked to ensure that all items are labelled clearly with their child’s name. We can not be responsible for items that are lost that are not marked with a child's name or initials.

For safety reasons we ask that the children do not wear jewellery in school. This includes stud earrings. Please do not send your child to school wearing any kind of earrings.

For health reasons it is important that children are properly dressed for physical activity. PE kit should be kept in a named drawstring bag.

What uniform do I need to provide?

• A pair of trainers- this is what we want all children to come to school in. This is because we want your child to be active throughout the day and some traditional school shoes do not allow this if they have insufficient flexibility and tread. Please send trainers that your child can put on themselves, either Velcro or using a toggle type tie if they can not yet tie laces. We can advise parents and carers where to purchase these lace replacement ties which are available for very low cost online. We have a small number of these on sale in school also.

• A PE kit consisting of a school T shirt, Blue Shorts and Bag, which can be obtained from Uniformity

• A range of appropriately sized shirts

• A range of appropriately sized jumpers or cardigans

• A set of trousers/skirts/pinafores

• Summer Dresses can be worn during the warmer weather if preferred.

• A waterproof coat when needed

• A pair of wellies to keep in school

• For some younger children we also ask for an all in one waterproof outfit- please liaise with your class teacher if this is requested

• Traditional headwear associated with the learners' own religious practices is of course permitted.

Please remember to ensure the sizing of your child's uniform allows them to be as independent as possible in terms of dressing and undressing themselves

You may need to purchase items through the year as your child grows.

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 based on sex, to give all pupils the opportunity to wear the uniform they are the most comfortable in or that most reflects their self identified gender.

• Make sure uniform costs the same for all pupils.

• Allows all pupils to have long hair although we do reserve the right to ask for this to be tied back if the need arises.

• Allow all pupils to style their hair in the way that is appropriate for school yet makes them feel most comfortable.

• Allow pupils to request changes to swimwear for religious reasons.

• Allow pupils to wear headscarves and other religious or cultural symbols.

What happens if my child has an accident in school?

If your child has an accident we will provide a replacement item from our spare stock. Please wash and return these items to school as we only have a limited supply.

What if my child has a sensory sensitivity to a uniform item?

Get in touch with us to discuss. We are very flexible and are happy to talk to parents about adaptations such as wearing loose jogging bottoms or shorts instead of trousers. We will then work with you and your child to develop their tolerance of a wider range of clothing.

Hinderton branded uniform is available from our local supplier Uniformity which are based in Ellesmere Port (please note that the Chester store does not hold our stock anymore). Items can be purchased in the shop directly, of my clicking on the link below to their online shop. When ordering online, these can either be delivered to your home address or free to the school and be sent home with your child. During the Summer holiday period it is advisable to arrange for orders to be sent directly home, as school cannot guarantee anyone being on site to receive a delivery.

Non branded uniform is widely available from retailers on the high street and the main Supermarkets, all of these items are acceptable to wear in school. Pre-owned uniform is also sometimes available in school, please contact the school office to check availability as we are reliant on donations.

School policy on pupil hairstyles

During term time pupils are asked not to have extreme fashion hairstyles as they are not appropriate for school.

The use of styling products should be kept to a minimum. Children should not have artificially coloured or sprayed hair, decorative patterns cut into their hair, closely shaved hair where the sides are much shorter than the top, beading, mohawks or have hair coloured or dyed.

We encourage children to express how they want to be seen in the world, as we understand it is an important part of their identity, culture and heritage. As with clothing, there are many sensory sensitivities that impact on our children's hair or if your child struggles with washing, brushing or having their hair cut please ask us for support.

We understand that at times parents may resort to cutting hair at home as a consequence of a child's anxiety about visiting a barber or hairdresser. We would ask that parents speak to staff for advice before doing so and to please avoid very short haircuts with a grades below 3 as these would not be acceptable in school.

Class teams are experienced in working with children to desensitise them in terms of having their hair touched or styled and we can also advise parents in terms of accessing autism-friendly local barbers and hairdressers.