Dear Parents and Carers,

Please find below key updates and reminders and, as promised last week, the outcome of our uniform consultation:

Uniform consultation & next steps

Thank you to everyone who took part in our uniform consultation. I would like to clarify that we acted in response to new government legislation that is coming into effect at the start of next academic year. The aim is two-fold: to reduce overall cost for all families and to reduce the number of compulsory, branded items. The support for our two proposals was overwhelming from parents and students – over 80% agree or strongly agree that we should 1) Give students the choice between Blazer and V-neck school jumper to reduce cost and 2) Offer plain, non-branded alternatives for PE socks and the PE long-sleeved outer layer. We will therefore proceed with both.

Whilst we will implement the PE alternatives from September in line with legislation, we have decided to bring the Blazer/Jumper alternative forward, starting from Monday 19 January to help with cost when it comes to replacing either of these items.

High standards

Our uniform represents our shared values, high expectations and strong community ethos of “Everyone Belonging, Everyone Achieving”. Now that we have confirmed the way forward, we are using this opportunity to remind students of our high uniform expectations. Please ensure that students wear their uniform correctly, particularly with regards to:

• jewellery (“one plain small stud earring in each lobe”, no other piercings) and
• footwear (dark socks, plain school shoes, no trainers).

We will notify you of any uniform issues via Satchel notifications and would like to remind you about the Home-School Agreement for parents/carers:

Uniform

• We will ensure that our child adheres to the school’s published uniform and appearance policy and expectations.
• We will work closely with the school to ensure that problems with our child’s uniform and appearance are addressed without delay.
• We understand that we may be required to collect and return our child if they fail to be dressed or appear correctly.

The future is bright

Last Thursday was the UCAS application deadline for our Year 13 students. They submitted 66 UCAS applications for 53 different courses to over 80 universities. I would like to extend a big thank you to all staff who helped make this happen. Whether it’s Aberystwyth or York, Aerospace Engineering or Zoology – we can’t wait to see where life will take our students!

All the way …

Finally – good luck to our U16 boys who have made it to the County Cup final at Oxford City after beating Wood Green School 2:1 in the semifinal.

Yours faithfully,
Bertram Richter
Headteacher