School Uniform Update

Dear Parents and Carers,

Following on from my letter yesterday, I am writing to share some brief details about our plans for uniform when we return in September.

First, I want to say a huge thank you for your support with our uniform flexibility during the recent heatwave. I appreciate that tweaking the usual routine and wearing PE uniform every day probably led to a bit more washing than normal at home! Your support made a real difference to the students' comfort during a very warm period.

Returning to Full Uniform in September

When we return in September, students will wear full school uniform on non-PE days. We look forward to seeing everyone arrive looking super-smart - wearing their blazer or jumper, tie, shirt carefully tucked in, and skirts worn appropriately.

PE Uniform

Allowing students to wear PE uniform during the recent heatwave brought a really pleasant surprise - although perhaps it shouldn’t have surprised us at all! Over the past few weeks, not a single student forgot their kit!

Participation in PE lessons reached virtually 100%, and the team gained almost 20 minutes of valuable teaching time in every single lesson by removing the need to change. Crucially, the concerns we originally held around hygiene didn’t materialise. Students were comfortable, active, and focused, making for a remarkably productive end to term.

The New Approach for September

Taking on board what we have learned - and in line with the successful practices of several other local schools - from September, students will wear their PE uniform to school on the days they have PE. On all other days, they will wear standard school uniform.

To make this new approach work effectively and maintain a smart, consistent look across the school, we are making a small adjustment to the PE uniform list:

• Any t-shirt, round neck jumper, quarter zip jumper, jacket, shorts, skort, leggings or sports trousers worn should be navy blue (not black). If branded the logo should be small and subtle.

To ensure all students can participate comfortably, safely, and with confidence, the following standards apply:

• Navy blue leggings should be designed specifically for sport, made from thick, high-density stretch fabric that are non-see-through. Please note: if you have already purchased the black branded PE leggings, these can still be worn/purchased until they are eventually phased out and replaced with the navy version.

• Navy blue skorts should be designed specifically for sport with integrated shorts, and be of an appropriate, modest length for a full range of movement when worn without rolling the waistband down.

• Navy blue sports trousers should be lightweight performance training trousers or slim-fit sports joggers (slim / tapered at the ankle). Trousers should be without outer thigh/cargo pockets and flared or wide ankles.

For convenience, Skoolkit continues to stock our official Crofton PE top, shorts, skort, and trousers, as well as a fantastic quarter-zip jumper which has proven very popular.

I hope you will agree that this is a pragmatic, positive step forward based on clear evidence from this term.

Uniform Going Forward

More broadly, I am keen that our thinking around uniform continues to evolve. Ideas around comfort, ease, and practicality are important to me, and I want to eliminate any unnecessary friction or negativity that uniform conflicts can create, keeping the focus squarely on learning.

This is very much the beginning of a conversation. I will be really keen to hear your thoughts - and those of our students - when we return in September. As with any school policy, there will naturally be a variety of views, and while we may not please everyone, I promise we will listen carefully, make sensible decisions, and communicate them clearly.

To be completely clear: beyond the PE adjustments outlined, no other changes are being made to our school uniform in the immediate future. Please prepare to send your children back in September in their current, full school uniform, looking proud and ready to learn.

Thank you, as always, for your continued partnership, trust, and support.

I wish you a happy and peaceful summer.

With kind regards,

Mr Mark Palmer

Headteacher