Principles
– Health and safety – ensuring students are safe in the busy environment of a school, including on playgrounds, workshops, science labs and playing fields.
– Ready for learning – ensuring students can access all learning activities, such as using a computer keyboard, drills and Bunsen burners.
– Business attire – maintaining a professional atmosphere, suitable for the work environment, and creating a sense of purpose and pride.
– Affordable and equitable – ensuring a unified school community, with no apparent inequalities of wealth. Ensuring no parent will feel they have let their child down if they are not able to afford fashion items of clothes or footwear.
– Protecting childhood – appropriate for children aged 16 and under
– Avoiding sexist or trans phobic policies – not allowing old-dated, misogynistic or trans phobic language or attitudes to persist.
School Uniform
– A black V-neck jumper with school logo
– A black school skirt with school logo or black tailored trousers or black tailored shorts
– A white shirt which may be long or short sleeved
– A school tie
– Black polishable formal shoes, with flat soles
– Plain black, grey or white socks or tights
Shoes: Must be formal, black and with a flat sole. We do not allow trainers, including but not limited to those manufactured by Nike, Vans or Converse. We do not allow pumps or boots. All shoes should be plain, with no patterns or logos. If you are not sure, please see the uniform guide with pictures. If your child has a medical condition which means they must wear specific footwear, parents should discuss this with their child’s head of house on an annual basis; medical evidence may be required. Guidance on appropriate school shoes for hypermobility can be found here and for ingrown toenails, here
Trousers: Must be standard, tailored school trousers. They must not be jeggings, leggings or jeans. If you are not sure, please see the uniform guide with pictures.
Tailored Shorts: Students can also wear black tailored shorts, with or without tights. See uniform guide for pictures for acceptable styles.
Jewellery, hair and make up
Jewellery: We ask parents to note that all jewellery must be removed for PE / dance lessons. This includes instances where a child has recently pierced their ears/nose. We recommend that any new piercings are carried out at the start of the school summer holidays, to allow the recommended 6-week healing process.
Students may wear:
– A single neck chain of sentimental or religious significance, tucked under your shirt
– Rings: no more than one per finger and no ‘knuckleduster’-style rings
– One bracelet or watch on each arm.
– A single nose stud, in either plain silver, gold, or in clear plastic. Nose rings, septum rings and all other facial piercings are not allowed.
– Earrings: small studs or small hoops (no more than 1cm diameter) only. No ‘dangly’ earring styles. All earrings must be removed for PE and Dance lessons.
Hair styles should be neat, and suitable for a work environment. Hair styles which could be perceived as ‘extreme’ will be considered on a case-by-case basis and in discussion with families. The headteacher’s decision on extreme hairstyles is final.
Make-up, if worn, should be discreet and natural. Make-up should be age appropriate. Students may wear coloured nail polish, but false nails and nail extensions are not allowed.
PE and Dance kit
– A blue PE technical t-shirt with the school logo
– Plain navy blue sports shorts OR
– Plain navy blue sports leggings
– By ‘plain’ we mean with no obvious brand logos; one small logo on the leg is acceptable. See images in the appendices.
– By ‘sports’ shorts and leggings we mean those designed for athletic wear. Shorts should not be hot-pant style micro shorts and should cover the upper part of the thigh.
– During colder weather, students may wear plain navy base layers under their PE top and under their PE shorts. Hoodies and additional layers over the top of the PE shirt are not allowed.
– Earrings must be removed for PE and Dance lessons. Taping is not a suitable alternative to removal. There can be no exceptions, including for recent piercings that are within the recommended healing period, therefore we encourage families to only allow their child to have new piercings at the very start of the school summer holiday period.
HALO code
Our school champions the right of staff and students to embrace all Afro-hairstyles. We acknowledge that Afro-textured hair is an important part of our Black students’ and staff’s racial, ethnic, cultural, and religious identities, and requires specific styling for hair health and maintenance.
We celebrate Afro-textured hair worn in all styles including, but not limited to, afros, locs, twists, braids, cornrows, fades, hair straightened through the application of heat or chemicals, weaves, wigs, headscarves, and wraps.
In this school, we recognise and celebrate our students’ and colleagues’ identities. We are a community built on an ethos of equality and respect where hair texture and style have no bearing on a student’s or staff member’s ability to succeed.
Incorrect uniform
If a student arrives at school with incorrect uniform, the school may:
(a) provide a change of uniform from the uniform hub in student services.
(b) send the student home to correct the uniform, having first contacted the parents/carers.
If a student refuses to change into acceptable uniform, or to go home to change, they will be referred to the Refocus Room until they are fully compliant with the uniform policy.
The Headteacher’s decision on acceptable uniform is final.
Exceptional weather
The MWA uniform can be easily adapted for the British seasons. We encourage children to wear additional plain white layers under their school shirt when it is cold, and to wear an appropriate school coat over their jumper. Hoodies are not allowed.
During the summer, tailored school shorts with a short-sleeved white cotton shirt are the coolest and most comfortable options. We do not allow students to wear PE kit, except for PE lessons, to maintain good hygiene.
In cases of exceptional weather, the uniform policy may be revised, and this will be clearly communicated to parents.
Financial hardship
The school can signpost grant funding to support with purchasing school uniform. Please call in at reception for details.
Second hand uniform is available to purchase using ‘Uniformerly’; an online school uniform marketplace. Visit www.uniformerly.co.uk or download the Uniformerly app to your phone, input
Somerset as the Local Authority and choose Monkton Wood Academy from the drop-down menu to find available items. Items on sale at MWA are shown by the green ‘PTA’ logo.
