Students are ambassadors of our school and dress and behave in a way that reflects our high standards. Full school uniform is compulsory for all students in Years 7-11. We believe the school uniform achieves three important goals. By wearing the same badge and the same clothing:

• It encourages a strong, cohesive sense of community identity and pride
• It encourages students to think of the needs of the community as well as their own individual needs.
•  Uniform makes us equal while keeping costs down. By requiring all our students to wear the same low-cost uniform, we reduce the incentive for students to ask parents or carers for the latest (and most expensive) items of fashion. As a result,

However, for our uniform policy to be successful, it must be implemented universally and without exception. Our parents and carers understand this and so support us at home to uphold the Academy’s high standards.

The Academy is extremely clear on what is expected of students. We work very hard to make sure everyone is fully aware of our uniform rules and include here a detailed version of requirements. The clarity within the policy aims to help parents and carers support our standards and avoid unnecessary expenditure. All students in Years 7-11 inclusive must wear the school uniform stated. Please take note of which items are prohibited in our uniform policy.

Uniform Expectations

All students are expected to wear full school uniform on the way to, from and in school and to comply with the following.:

• Wear their blazer unless given permission to remove it
• If a student feels warm or in warm weather, they can remove their jumper but must still wear their blazer
• Wear black loose fitting trousers worn at the waist or a loose fitting pleated black skirt worn no shorter than on the knee.
• Wear their tie ensuring it covers the fastened top button and the waist of skirt/trousers
• Wear plain black socks or tights
• Wear shoes that are polishable plain black flat, formal, leather/leather look style
• Have a bag plain black/Navy blue/Grey A4-sized sturdy school bag or backpack
• Wear full PE kit during PE lessons and sporting activities
• Wear traditional and understated haircuts/styles in their own natural hair colours
• Not wear jewellery other than which is permitted: a wristwatch (no smart watches), one small plain (gold or silver coloured) earring stud in each lower ear lobe only
• Not wear facial or tongue piercings or tattoos (temporary or permanent)
• Not wear nail varnish, makeup, false nails or false eyelashes of any kind
• Not wear hats or hoods indoors.

All items of school uniform, PE clothing and kit must be clearly marked with names. It is every students’ responsibility to look after their PE and not lose it.

Parents and carers are asked to see the Uniform Guidance below for more detailed information along with items which should only be purchased from the school suppliers. Parents and carers are advised to contact the Academy in advance if they are unsure whether an item meets the expected standard.

Non-compliance

Students who wear incorrect uniform, or their uniform incorrectly, should expect a school sanction. Non-school uniform items will be confiscated. Students who arrive at school without the correct uniform will be placed in The Reflection Room until a parent or carer can bring the correct item to school. In the event that a student is not wearing the correct uniform and the parent cannot bring the correct item to school, then they will be offered to borrow uniform if it is available, or remain in The Reflection Room until the end of the school day.

Equal Opportunities and School Uniform

Chiltern Hills Academy celebrates the diverse communities that are represented within the school. All groups of students have to wear the school uniform in order to maintain equal opportunities for students. Students who choose to cover their hair for religious reasons must wear a head covering only in black and should ensure that the school shirt and tie are visible so that all can be identified as Chiltern Hills Academy students.

Sikh students who have been baptised can wear the five "articles of faith" that must be carried at all times. If worn, the Kirpan must be sealed and should be worn discreetly and out of sight.

Statutory Guidance on School Uniform

When making decisions about uniform, the policy takes into regard its obligations under the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Equality Act 2010. The Academy has reviewed the school uniform requirements in light of the statutory guidance (November 2021) to ensure that the uniform is affordable in comparison with other suppliers, branded items are kept to a minimum and that second-hand uniform is available from the local Shaw Trust charity shop; 33 High Street, Chesham HP5 1BW

Our Academy uniform and PE kit are supplied by KL Schoolwear, klschoolwear.co.uk. 
Website: www.klschoolwear.co.uk     Email: orders@klschoolwear.co.uk     Tel: 07990 750195

The Shaw Trust shop in Chesham High Street is an outlet for second hand uniform.

Uniform Guidance

ITEM		CLARIFICATION
Outdoor coats, scarves, hats	Plain with no visible logos, and preferably with reflective strips (any supplier)	No denim or leather jackets or sports or hooded tops. No caps. Scarves, coat hoods and hats should not be worn indoors. Coats should be removed before entering the classroom and put on the back of the chair at the start of the lesson.
Blazer	Official school blazer with school badge (from school supplier)	Must be worn at all times unless given permission by a teacher. Sleeves must not be rolled up.
Shirt	Plain white collared (any supplier)	Collars must be designed to accommodate a tie and must have a top button which fastens.
Tie	School tie (from school supplier)	Must cover the fastened top button and the waist of skirt/trousers
School trousers	Black formal school trousers (from any supplier)	Must fit to the waist (natural waist) and be loose fitting. No jeans, skinny trousers, leggings, or combat style. A plain and simple black belt may be worn.
School skirt	Black pleated skirt (see illustration below)	Skirts must be unrolled and worn no shorter than on the knee and must be a pleated design
Jumper	Grey ‘V’ necked jumper with silver threading (school supplier)	Not compulsory
Socks/Tights	Plain black (any supplier)	No coloured or patterned socks or tights. Over the knee socks are not appropriate.
Shoes	Plain black shoes. (any supplier)	These should be flat, formal, leather/leather look polishable shoes
Bag	Plain black/navy blue/dark grey A4-sized sturdy school bag or backpack	No large logos. Must be large enough to carry all school equipment needed for the day

Design of school uniform skirt:

 

 

 

Shoes

• Shoes must be formal in style, flat, black, leather or leather-look, and they should be polishable. For visual guidance on examples, please see the illustration below.
• No canvas, suede, trainer or trainer looking shoes are allowed.  Stitching and laces should be plain black so that no other colours are visible on the shoe. Specifically, ‘Air Force Ones’ or ‘Adidas Stan Smith’ are not acceptable or any similar styled shoe.
• If there is a medical reason why the student cannot wear the correct school shoes for a prolonged period, i.e. more than two weeks, a medical note must be provided.  This can be provided from a podiatrist or other relevant member of the medical profession and the Academy will then review on a case-by-case basis. The school reserves the right to work with medical professionals to find a shoe that is in keeping with the ethos of the school uniform but supports any medical issues. A medical note for footwear is not a pass to wear any shoe of choice.
• Where medical issues persist over time, the Academy will require updated forms as and when requested.

Please note that not all shoes being sold as ‘school shoes’ meet our standards. If in doubt, parents or carers should refer to the following pictures to see what is/is not acceptable. However, this list is not exhaustive and the Academy’s decision on what is/is not acceptable is final. If parents are unsure as to whether a particular style will be accepted, they must send a picture of the shoe to the Academy before purchasing.

PE Uniform

ITEM		CLARIFICATION
PE polo shirt	School official polo shirt (from school supplier)	No alternatives allowed
Shorts	Plain black (from any supplier)	*No logos. **Must be loose fitting and at least mid-thigh length
Skort	Academy design (from school supplier) or plain black	**Must be at least mid-thigh length
Leggings	Academy design (from school supplier)	No alternatives allowed
Tracksuit bottoms	Plain black (from any supplier)	*No logos. Must be loose fitting
Socks	Plain black (from any supplier)	Skirts must be unrolled and worn no shorter than on the knee and must be a pleated design
Trainers	Trainers with non-marking soles (from any supplier)	Any colour
Football boots	These need moulded studs and will be used on the fields and on the artificial grass pitch.	Any colour

All students are expected to take part in their PE lessons, and in full PE uniform. If a child has an injury and is still able to come to school they are required to participate in their PE lesson, and in PE uniform. An appropriate activity will be assigned such as a coach/umpire/referee/ manager/etc. Some exceptions to this will be considered at the discretion of the class teacher.

* We do not want students feeling under pressure because they do not have the latest fashion accessory. No logos are allowed for this reason.

**PE sports kit should not be too short or tight. The school will ask students to replace clothing that is deemed too short or too close fitting.

***Trainers are defined as those which “demonstrate effective grip, support and reasonable protection” (From: ‘Safe Practice in Physical Education and Sport’). For example, a ‘cross’ trainer or running shoes that are suitable for a wide range of activities. This does not include plimsolls, pumps, converse style pumps, or any trainer that goes above the ankle.

General Presentation

Students are expected to be always smart and presentable with blazers on, shirts tucked in, top buttons fastened and ties done up properly. Skirts must be unrolled and worn no shorter than on the knee. This includes students travelling to and from school. Students who wear incorrect uniform should expect a school sanction and confiscation of any non-school uniform items and returned in line with the Confiscation Policy. Pride in uniform matters.

Students who arrive at school without the correct uniform will be placed in The Reflection Room until a parent or carer can bring the correct item to school. In the event that a student is not wearing the correct uniform and the parent cannot bring the correct item to school then they will be offered to borrow uniform if available or remain in The Reflection Room until the end of the school day.

Hair

Students must attend school with traditional and understated haircuts/styles and their own natural hair colour. The following are not permitted:

• Lines/tracks/patterns cut into hair or eyebrows
• No contrast between the top of the hair and the sides. Short sides must be faded gradually into the top of the haircut so there is no noticeable ‘step’ or layering.
• No hair dyes and coloured hair extensions including dips.

Students are permitted to wear hair bands which must be plain black and discrete.

The Academy’s decision on what is/is not acceptable is final. Students whose haircut is not deemed by the School to be an acceptable style will be placed in The Reflection Room until a parent or carer agrees to have the haircut changed. Students whose hair needs to ‘grow out’ must remain in The Reflection Room until the hair is an acceptable length. Students are not permitted to spend this time at home.

Head/hair coverings

Some of our students may choose to wear head/hair coverings for religious reasons. If so, these must look conventional and understated in style.

• They must be plain and black
• Pins or clips must be small, dark in colour and understated
• There can be no decorations such as sequins or patterns.
• Material must not be too long at the front or the back so as to obscure the uniform or look untidy.

Jewellery

The Academy operates a strict no jewellery policy. Only the following jewellery is permitted:

• Wristwatches (not smart watches)
• One small (gold or silver coloured) stud earring worn in the lower lobe of each ear. No other piercings are allowed (e.g. nose studs, other facial piercings, ‘spacers’ or ‘stretchers’)
• No facial or tongue piercings or tattoos (temporary or permanent).
• In PE lessons, personal effects, such as jewellery, religious artefacts, watches and so forth, should always be removed and given to the class teacher to establish a safe environment

Should students wish to create pierced holes for jewellery outside of school, these should be created at the start of the summer holidays to allow time for the hole to heal fully.

Any jewellery worn by the student while in school uniform will be confiscated and maybe collected by the parent/carer.

Make-Up and Nails

• Make-up is not permitted. Students will be asked to remove make-up, including false eyelashes.
• Fingernails must be short and unpainted. Nail extensions must not be worn. Students will be asked to remove nail varnish and nail extensions. The school has make-up remover and nail vanish remover on site to support in this.

Students with nail extensions that cannot be removed will be placed in The Reflection Room until a parent or carer agrees to have the nail extensions removed.