The new Academy uniform

During the Autumn term we communicated and consulted with staff, students, parents and the local community on the Academy uniform at meetings, through letters and online questionnaires. At the end of the consultation, the Academy sponsors have agreed on the uniform listed in the table below.

The Academy uniform will be free for all students for September 2010, who will receive the following items: a blazer with Academy logo; a clip-on tie; a short-sleeved jumper with Academy logo; a short-sleeved sports top; a sports fleece with Academy logo; and a white shirt. Parents will also be able to purchase shorts and tracksuit bottoms, if required.

At the start of this term we invited five companies to bid to become our uniform supplier. The company that has been selected is Sportswear International. They will supply the Academy uniform to our students and we will sell it from the school at cost price. Alternatively, parents can buy the uniform online from the Sportswear International website (please note that online prices will be more expensive than buying the uniform directly from the school). In the case of the blazers, parents will be able to buy them anywhere and purchase a sew-on badge from the school for £3.50 (this option is not yet available but will be soon).

We are committed to providing a good-quality uniform at a reasonable price and ensuring that parents have the choice of going to any high-street store to purchase most of the items. In April, the company will come and measure all students for new items, which will be ready for collection before the end of the Summer term.

Girls	Boys
Black blazer with embroidered Academy logo on pocket: choice of fitted girls or unisex model	Black Blazer with embroidered Academy logo on pocket
Black, short- or long-sleeved jumper with Academy logo (optional)	Black, short- or long-sleeved jumper with Academy logo (optional)
White shirt with collar	White shirt with collar
Clip-on Academy tie	Clip-on Academy tie
Black, school skirt or school trousers (Skirts must be at least knee length)	Black, school trousers
Plain, smart, black footwear. No writing or logos allowed	Plain, smart, black footwear. No writing or logos allowed
PE kit	PE kit
Black sports shirt with embroidered Academy logo (fitted or unisex)	Black sports shirt with embroidered Academy logo
Plain, black leggings/trousers/shorts	Plain, black, tracksuit bottoms/shorts
Long-sleeved, black, micro fleece top with Academy logo (optional)	Long-sleeved, black, micro fleece top with Academy logo (optional)
Religious dress
Plain, black headscarf with Academy logo Salwar kameez - plain black only or black tunic Plain, long, black skirts (no frills or patterns)
Post-16 dress
Post-16 students will need to dress smartly at our Academy. This means wearing: Boys: Smart trousers, shirt, jumper, jacket (optional) and sensible shoes. Girls: Smart trousers/skirt, blouse/shirt, dress and sensible shoes.

Academy uniform FAQs

Below are some frequently asked questions about the new Sidney Stringer Academy uniform. However, if you have any further enquiries about the uniform, please email or call the school.

How much does the whole Academy uniform cost?

In September 2010, a set of branded uniform items will be provided free of charge to all Academy students in Years 7 to 11, that is, current Years 7 to 10 students and Year 6 students in our feeder primary schools. Thereafter, the uniform will be available to order through the Academy.

If parents want to purchase additional items, these will be available from the Academy and price lists will be available shortly. The Academy will be selling all items at cost price. This will make it cheaper than any other supplier and we don’t intend to make any profit from selling it. We believe it is important to ensure that parents can buy the Academy uniform as cheaply and easily as possible so that all of our students will look smart.

What items will be provided by the Academy?

The Academy will provide a blazer with logo; short-sleeved, v-neck, piped jumper with logo; clip-on tie; short- sleeved sports shirt with logo; long-sleeved sports top with logo; and a white shirt.

What items will be required other than those that the Academy will provide?

Students must wear plain, black footwear with NO logos at all. They will also need a white shirt (not a polo shirt). The top button of the shirt must be able to be done up comfortably as the clip-on tie requires a fastened top button.

How will the Academy ensure the uniform provided is a good fit?

The uniform supplier will be visiting the school for three days between 21 and 23 April to measure each student personally for their uniform.

What if my child is ill during the sizing days?

The uniform supplier will leave a set of sizing samples at the Academy for those who are unable to attend the sizing days, so that we can then measure them in school. If students still haven’t been sized by the end of term, the suppliers will be providing extra sets of uniform so that students can pick up a set during the distribution week.

My child will need a special size uniform, how can this be obtained?

The supplier has provided uniforms for many different Academies and schools and has not yet encountered a student who doesn’t fit in the size ranges available.

What PE kit will my child need?

Every student will be provided with a short- and long-sleeved sports top and they will then need to wear plain black shorts or black tracksuit bottoms which can be bought from the Academy.

How can I get extra uniform items?

If you wish to buy any spare items of branded uniform, this can be done directly through the Academy.

What are the washing instructions for the uniform?

All the Academy uniform items provided are machine washable. Specific laundering instructions are on the inside labels of these items.

My child is in the sixth form, will they be required to get the uniform?

Sixth-form students will not be required to wear a uniform but will be required to wear smart dress.

Can my child wear any of the current uniform?

Students must wear the branded items provided by the Academy. However, as the previous uniform included plain, black trousers or skirts these can still be worn. The white polo shirts currently worn are not suitable to wear with the ties.

Must the blazer be worn at all times?

Blazers are to be worn at all times. Removal during lessons will be at the discretion of the class teacher.

What will happen if my child doesn’t wear the correct uniform?

A Most uniform infringements will be dealt with by the teacher. Students will need to comply with requests to correct their uniform. Where students don’t have correct uniform with them, House heads will send students home to change into appropriate dress whenever possible. If this isn’t possible, then students will work in the internal exclusion room.