Uniform
School Uniform
Lode Heath School and its Governors believe that a school uniform plays a valuable role in a sense of identity and community, as well as contributing to the ethos of our school and setting an appropriate tone. A uniform also removes distractions for students which differing appearance can sometimes bring. Importantly, a uniform also promotes equality and supports families and carers who experience financial hardship. Lastly, adherence to a dress code or uniform also helps prepare students for their future employment.
Our uniform:
- is cost effective.
- promotes equality.
- promotes positive standards of appearance.
- is simple to adhere to.
Parents/carers are expected to ensure students wear full and correct uniform properly when in attendance. Should you have any concerns about your ability to ensure this, please share this with our staff who will look to support you.
Our main school uniform consists of:
Top:
- Plain white shirt with button up neck. Please ensure the neck is wide enough to enable your child to comfortably secure the top button.
- Black blazer with school badge.
- School tie – clip on school tie only*
- Plain black ‘V’ neck jumper (optional).
*students who attend LHS prior to Sept 2021 will be permitted to wear their traditional tie, ensuring the knot is small, tied to the collar and shows a minimum of 12 stripes as we phase this out.
Bottom:
-
Plain black, regular fit school trousers. Trousers should hang from the waist and should be straight legged. Drainpipe, tight or turn-up styles are not permitted. No denim or Lycra. No adornments.
OR
-
Lode Heath School black Charleston style box pleat skirt^ with visible gold waistband and Lode Heath star.
OR
-
Plain black Charleston style box pleat skirt^ with visible waistband.
-
Plain black tights or plain black ankle socks. Patterned tights or socks, knee high/over the knee socks or leggings are not permitted.
^skirts must be knee length (against the crease of the knee) and waist bands must not be rolled up.
Footwear:
-
Plain black, leather/ leather look, flat formal-wear shoes.
High heels, boots, backless shoes, and shoes that look like trainers are not permitted. Shoes should be free of all logos or adornments.
Students may change footwear for sport at break or lunch but must return to the building in their formal-wear shoes.
Outerwear:
-
Coats should be suitable for wet weather and should be worn over the blazer; they should be plain.
Hoodies (with or without a zip), sports tops or tank tops are not permitted.
School bags:
-
Bags should be rucksack or satchel type, appropriate for carrying A4-sized books and other essential equipment.
Handbags, pouches or similar are not permitted.
Other:
Hair:
-
Hair should be a natural colour and no shorter than no. 2; ‘tramlines’ and other non-natural features are not permitted.
Nails & make up:
- Students in years 7, 8 and 9 are not permitted to wear make-up, nail varnish or other additions.
- As a privilege, students in year 10 and 11 are permitted to wear natural look make-up.
- False nails or nails which feature non-natural colours or designs are not permitted. Nails should be short and appear natural.
- Non-natural eyelashes and fake tan are not permitted.
Jewellery – students may wear:
- Single plain stud-earrings - these must be removed or taped for dance and PE type activities.
- A watch.
No other jewellery, including body piercings or smart watches are permitted.
Headwear:
-
Headwear for religious reasons such as turbans, hijabs and similar should be plain black.
Other headwear is not permitted, including baseball caps which will be confiscated.
Our PE kit consists of:
Top:
-
LHS branded short sleeved PE t-shirt.
Bottom:
-
LHS branded shorts.
OR
-
LHS branded tracksuit trousers.
OR
-
LHS branded leggings.
Please note: the LHS skort is no longer permitted for any students from September 2021.
-
Plain, navy socks – a change of socks are recommended.
Outerwear – advised for colder months when outdoor PE still takes place.
-
LHS branded hoody.
OR
-
LHS branded rugby top.
Please note both the LHS rugby top and the LHS hoody will be phased out and replaced in September 2022 with a LHS branded training top (optional)*
Other:
-
Long hair must be tied back.
We have a small supply of pre-loved uniform which we can provide to you, free of charge, if this is something you need help with. Please let us know and we will do our best to help. We always welcome donations of pre-loved uniform to help with this.
Breaches of the uniform policy may result in one or more of the following:
- Replacement uniform items being lent to the student to wear temporarily.
- Items being confiscated.
- Make-up or other additions removed.
- Students sent home to change. They will be expected to make up this time and it will also be noted on their school record as an unauthorised absence.
If uniform rules are regularly breached, formal sanctions will follow.
Frequently asked questions
Why have you moved to clip on ties?
Unfortunately, too many students wear their top button undone, have oversized tie knots and very short ties. Separately and altogether, this makes for very poor personal presentation. Too much time is wasted asking students to correct their uniform which detracts from learning time.
We ask that parents/ carers buy shirts with a collar wide enough which can be buttoned whilst to meet your child’s comfort needs. Should your child require further adjustments, you should speak to our SEN staff who can help you.
Why is the uniform policy now organised by tops, bottoms etc?
This approach makes our uniform more inclusive and easier to follow.
Why allow plain black Charleston skirts?
Whilst we would prefer students to wear the LHS branded skirt, if they choose to wear a skirt instead of trousers, it seemed only fair to permit the same style of skirt in a non-branded version, since this makes the uniform more affordable.
Why permit older students to wear make-up?
It seems fair and reasonable to allow older students to wear make-up and this was supported by many stakeholders. This also reflects current custom and practice. However, LHS staff reserve the right to ask students to remove make-up if they are not in years 10 or 11 and/ or if they do not deem the make-up to look natural.
Why do you not allow students to wear trainers with the day-to-day uniform?
Trainers do not meet with the ethos of our uniform and they are not smart or formal to match the rest of the uniform. Trainers also can be much more expensive and less hard wearing than shoes.
My child has a medical issue with their foot/ feet/ ankle etc. What adjustment can you make for them?
Nowadays shoes can be bought to address almost all needs; to fit insoles, to provide support, to cushion the foot etc. We are confident that appropriate shoes can be purchased to suit all purses which meet both your child’s needs and our uniform expectations.
Why are all items of the PE kit branded?
We intend to retain branded PE kit, because our most recent adjustment which permitted students to wear plan navy or black jogging bottoms, or leggings did not go well. Instead, we saw significant numbers of students attend school in very expensive branded sportswear and other non-plain alternatives in an array of colours. Students also wore leggings which were often of poor quality, so they were transparent. As a result, we have decided we must retain branded PE kit items to ensure we adhere to the principles of our uniform policy. That is one which promotes equality and positive standards of appearance.