Whole school uniform review – Autumn term 2022

Many thanks to parents, staff and pupils that took the time to feedback on current uniform and PE kit as part of our review to try to minimise the cost of uniform and the reliance on one distributor. The intention was for us to achieve better value for money for parents/carers whilst maintaining a sense of identity to the school.

Consultation process during Autumn term 2022

Parents/carers had a contact point online to give their feedback during the autumn term. Staff fed back their views through the pastoral teams and the Achievement Co-ordinators. Student views were sought through the School Council and the Year councils, representative bodies for each year group. We have considered both the cost of garments balanced with the quality. This should ensure items can stand the test of time and therefore limits the amount spent on replacing worn out items.

A variety of alternative providers were considered.

Outcomes

It was good to see that the vast majority of responses did not suggest any major changes, appreciating that when worn appropriately, the uniform is already fairly simple and many items are already competitively priced and many can be purchased elsewhere. The majority wanted the school cresting to remain on both the uniform and the PE kit for a positive identity for the school, but felt that some items could be looked at for a second cheaper alternative, or unnecessary branding removed. Maintaining some kind of unity in what the children wear in PE was a strong consideration, as it was felt it would be a significant step backwards to open up options here too broadly.

Our current suppliers, Oz schoolwear, came out very favourably in this review so we are looking to maintain them as a lead supplier. We have already therefore taken steps forward by confirming several changes:

• Two blazers will be sold, one at a starting cost of £31, another at £25. They will both be ‘eco ‘ blazers, made from plastic bottles. The style will remain the same and will still allow an alternative identical blazer to be bought elsewhere as there will be no cresting on the blazer.
• Two skirts will be sold, one at a starting price of £25 and another at around £19 (tbc). The style will remain the same. The cost of the skirt came up several times in this review, so we are continuing to work hard for a second skirt option as mentioned.
• The white blouse and shirt will continue to be sold via Oz schoolwear in packs of 2 at a competitive price, but can be bought at any alternative provider.
• The school’s branded V neck navy jumper remains optional.
• The school branding has been removed from the PE socks and girls black leggings, allowing both to be purchased anywhere at a much reduced cost. This means the cost of 2 pairs of PE socks can be reduced from the current branded £18 to £5 from a supermarket.
• A new outdoor training top for boys and girls in PE is being reviewed. This will then replace the boys’ rugby top.

Other changes proposed include:

• One school tie will be worn as the House system is not a feature within school anymore
• The blazer badge will be redesigned to match the new logo, with a wide band of colour across the top to identify the school year. This will remain the same colour throughout a child’s journey through school, allowing an identification for that year group.
• Girls will have the option of wearing a tie. If a shirt is worn, then a tie is worn. If a blouse is worn, then a tie isn’t worn.

Implementation from 2023

During Spring 2023 we will look at any specific changes that we need to make for September 2023. However, some items may be available for purchase before this time. You will be notified about any whole school changes (Year 7-10 from September 2023) in good time.

Pre loved uniform shop

I’m also really pleased to promote our Pre Loved uniform shop which is based in school. Please do email preloveduniform@cdarwin.com or go onto our school website where there is a link under Parents > uniform. You will find a QR link on this page to a preloved uniform request form. We have lots of barely used uniform ready and waiting for purchase for a suggested but much reduced cost. All proceeds go to the Friend’s of Charles Darwin School. We are looking to sell this nearly new uniform at other opportunities during the academic year to make it as accessible as possible to our community.

 

Mrs Rees – Deputy Head

Mrs Everest – Chief Financial officer