Mr Steve Lobsey | Head of Secondary

As we move into colder weather, we have made an adjustment to the uniform, allowing students to wear plain long sleeve white shirts under their school shirts. This to me was a sensible solution to a problem and I am very keen on continuing to use common sense in how we approach issues which arise at school.

Our issue in making changes is often the implementation of the changes by students. Adolescence is a tricky time. As students begin trying to establish their own identity, they begin pushing at boundaries and at the same time, they are heavily influenced by their peers. So when we made the change to allow for plain long sleeve white shirts, some students arrived with black ones. Some wore jumpers or hoodies. It is these types of behaviours that make it difficult for us to implement changes, even if they do seem sensible.

In all of these things, the focus is not on uniform but on character. We are less focussed on correct shoes, skirt lengths and jewellery than students may think. We are more focused on areas such as students doing the small things well, following directions and respecting rules – things that adults need to do in their workplaces. In the end, it is a reflection on a student if they are making decision to roll up their skirt or wear black Nike shoes and we don’t want our students to reflect poorly.