Schools have been told to appoint a point of contact for families needing support with uniform.
Government guidance updated this morning also suggests setting requirements banning “visible logos or branding” on PE kit to reduce costs and “peer pressure to wear designer sportswear”.
Meanwhile, governing boards have been told to be aware of the needs of pupils with SEND and “consider whether certain items of clothing could create challenges” for them.
This comes as leaders prepare for changes as part of Labour reforms next year limiting the amount of school-branded uniform children will have to wear.
Staff point of contact
The tweaked guidance on developing uniform policies now recommends that consideration should be given to how schools “will support pupils who do not have the correct” gear.
This includes “which members of staff will be a point of contact for families and pupils who need support with uniform” and the action they will take if a child “faces bullying or discrimination” over their clothing.
The guidance, which is non-statutory, also tells schools to “consider whether to make their position on political impartiality clear” in their policies. This includes “rules around badges or other items supporting causes or organisations being fixed to uniform items”.
When doing this, leaders will need to be aware of “how it aligns with human rights and equalities legislation” and pupil wellbeing, among other things.
Designer PE kits
The Department for Education also believes schools should think about “setting requirements that reduce peer pressure to wear designer [PE] sportswear and avoid extra cost for parents”.
An example of this is “stating in their policy that items should not have visible logos or branding”. In addition, consideration should be paid to how PE kits support “inclusion and participation and engagement for all pupils”.
The DfE suggests this can be done by “offering pupils a choice of items so they feel comfortable” or by “promoting the importance of girls wearing sports bras when taking part” in sport.
The department also told schools to “consider the link between uniform and attendance”. As part of this, “not having clean uniform or PE kit can result in bullying, which can also lead to poor attendance”.
Leaders should think about “what action they can take to support attendance in such cases”.
SEND consideration
The guidance added that governing boards “should be aware of the needs of pupils with special educational needs or disabilities and consider whether certain items of clothing could create challenges” for them.
To help this they should review “what flexibilities, adaptions, adjustments or alternatives might mitigate any negative impact on these pupils”.
They can also adopt “a more comfortable or less restrictive uniform” or a “more flexible policy that allows pupils to choose from a range of items”.
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