Our School Uniform and PE Kit

School Uniform

The Equality Act 2010 prohibits discrimination against an individual based on the protected characteristics, which include age, sex, disability, race, religion or belief, pregnancy and maternity, and gender reassignment.

To avoid discrimination, our school will:

• Avoid listing uniform items based on sex, to give all pupils the opportunity to wear the uniform they feel most comfortable in or that most reflects their self-identified gender;
• Make sure that our uniform costs the same for all pupils;
• Allow pupils to request changes to swimwear for religious reasons or if they are experiencing discomfort related to their sex, gender or gender reassignment;
• Allow pupils to wear headscarves and/or other religious garments;
• Allow pupils with sensory or physical needs to make reasonable adaptations to their uniform depending on their specific needs;

Limiting the cost of school uniform

Our school has a duty to make sure that the uniform we require is affordable, in line with statutory guidance from the Department for Education (DfE)

on the cost of school uniform.

We will make sure our uniform:

• Is available at a reasonable cost;
• Provides the best value for money for parents/carers.

We will do this by:

• Ensuring that we are not insisting on any branded clothing for school;
• Limiting items with distinctive characteristics to low-cost and/or long-lasting items, such as a school jumper;
• Keeping the number of optional branded items to a minimum, so that the school’s uniform can act as a social leveller;
• Avoiding different uniform requirements for different year/classes;
• Avoiding different uniform requirements for extracurricular activities;
• Making sure that arrangements are in place for parents/carers to acquire second-hand uniform items;
• Avoiding frequent changes to uniform specifications and minimising the financial impact on parents/carers of any changes;
• Consulting with parents/carers and pupils on any proposed significant changes to the uniform policy and carefully considering any complaints about the policy.

Please label all items of uniform with your child's name

The school colours are maroon, light blue and grey/black.

• A V neck maroon sweatshirt (also available with a logo) should be worn with a light blue shirt and grey trousers/shorts/skirts or blue check pinafore dresses.
• A maroon striped school tie can be worn by children in year 3 - 6 but this is optional.
• Footwear should be sturdy black shoes or trainers.
• Socks or tights need to be plain and either white, grey or black.
• Head coverings worn for religious reasons should be maroon/black in colour.
• Long hair should be tied back using simple head bands.
• Water bottles are also required for all children. This should only contain plain water and be labelled with your child's name. 
• Our year 6 Prefects replace the blue shirt with a white one and the maroon V neck sweatshirt with a grey V neck sweat shirt.

Summer Uniform

• Grey/black shorts/skirts.
• Blue, checked summer dress.
• Children still need to wear sturdy footwear and must not wear open-toed sandals (or flip-flops) in the summer as they do not protect their feet sufficiently when playing in the playground.

PE Kit

You will be informed of PE days for your child's class. Your child should come to school in their PE kit on those days.

Your child's PE kit should consist of:

• A black pair of shorts
• A white T-shirt
• A pair of plimsolls or trainers
• Black/dark coloured, plain sweatshirt and jogging trousers for outdoor PE lessons in the winter.

Swimming

Children in year 4 attend swimming lessons at a local pool.

• Girls must wear a one-piece swimming costume (not Lycra)
• Boys must wear swimming trunks (not long-legged loose shorts) with no pockets.
• Changes to swimwear for religious reasons or if they are experiencing discomfort related to their sex, gender or gender reassignment can be requested.
• A bathing hat/cap is required for both boys and girls.
• No jewellery allowed.
• Please note that goggles are not normally worn during swimming lessons, but may be worn under certain circumstances. Please contact your child's teacher if you need further details regarding this.
• Children also need a swimming towel, a waterproof coat on rainy days and a swim bag to keep their kit in.

PE is a part of the National Curriculum and all children are required to take part in it.

A valid note or medical certificate is necessary for children to be excused.

Health and Safety

Jewellery

• For safety reasons, other than a wrist-watch and small stud earrings, jewellery is not allowed.
• If your child needs to wear jewellery for religious reasons, please speak with a member of staff.

It is a local authority and school regulation that no jewellery should be worn during any physical activities. If parents choose to send children to school wearing earrings it is the children’s responsibility to remove them before PE and swimming lessons.

When children remove jewellery for the purpose of PE or swimming etc, the teacher is under no obligation to look after it. If the teachers do look after children's property they will not be held responsible if it subsequently gets lost or broken.
Becontree school uniform can be purchased from:

Khalsa Schoolwear

You can visit their website. Contact – Khalsa Schoolwear

If you have any difficulty meeting the cost of a uniform please contact the school so that alternatives may be discussed.

The school sometimes has available some good quality used uniform, that can be collected from Jackie Moldrich (Parent Support Advisor).

Staff in the main office are available for any further advice about uniform. Please ask if you have any questions.