School Uniform

 The Governing Body at BMS have formulated the following policy on uniform which will encourage pupils to dress in a way which is appropriate to their health, well-being, safety and attendance at school. This follows from the Governing Body’s general responsibility for the conduct of the school and for the promotion of teaching, learning, good behaviour and discipline on the part of its pupils (see sections 38 and 61 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998)

 The advantages of pupils conforming to such a code of appropriate school dress include:

• The encouragement of a purposeful attitude to work and positive behaviour
• The promotion of a positive school ethos and a sense of identification with, and loyalty to, the school
• Improved security by being able to identify young people within the school and on school excursions
• A reduction in bullying and victimisation which can arise from peer pressure to adhere to certain fashion trends
• Raising young people’s awareness of the requirement to dress appropriately for the circumstances e.g. certain work requirements, interviews etc
• The creation of a positive image in the local community
• Assisting parents/carers in terms of economic and practical issues

 Whilst pupils must adhere to the uniform policy we are sensitive to the needs of different cultures, races and religions. Parents/carers can apply in writing to the Headteacher if they wish their child(ren) to wear different items for any of these reasons.

 The following uniform policy has been agreed taking into consideration the following factors, that is, items which cannot be worn are ones which:

• could potentially cause factions or offence;
• could affect health, safety and welfare;
• could cause damage to the flooring.

 BMS Uniform Policy

All items of clothing must be labelled with the child’s name.

*Denotes optional items

 School Uniform:

• Black pleated skirt or black tailored trousers or black tailored shorts.
• White formal collared shirt
• School tie – tied to cover fastened top button at shirt collar
• Blue BMS v-neck sweatshirt with the school badge
• Plain black socks (must be knee length or shorter) or plain black tights.
• Plain black formal shoes with less than 3cm heels. (No boots, high heels, canvas/trainer style, sports brands or platforms are allowed)

Optional Summer Uniform

• *White polo shirt

Please note that during the Summer Term, there are special school occasions where pupils will be specifically requested to wear the regular uniform of a collared shirt, tie and sweatshirt.  

PE Uniform:

• Blue BMS hoodie with school house on the back
• School games top (rugby and/or PE top) royal blue and white
• *Base Layer (plain blue or black)
• Black shorts (must be plain black, loose fitting/football style shorts with no logo or branding)
• *Black skort
• Plain navy jogging bottoms (must be completely plain - no logo, branding or embellishment)
• Royal blue knee socks
• *White sports socks (Summer term only)
• Football/rugby/hockey boots for outdoor games
• Suitable sports trainers (not fashion plimsoles, converse or high tops etc.)
• Shin pads and gum shield
• *Towel
• * Plain black leggings (must be completely plain - no logo, branding, mesh areas or embellishment, only for Winter months and only to be worn under PE shorts)

 School Sweatshirts, PE hoodies and tops are available from Border Embroideries, Fantasy Prints or from our second-hand uniform shop in school.

Forest School for Year 5 Only (2024-2025):

Either:

• PE kit:
• tracksuit bottoms (not shorts)
• blue socks
• t-shirt
• hoodie
• trainers

Or:

• Old clothes:
• tracksuit bottoms
• socks (not trainer socks)
• t-shirt
• hoodie
• trainers

Additionally, a pair of wellies or walking boots/shoes can be worn during the lesson in order to keep feet dry. Some spare wellies are kept at school but correct sizes cannot be guaranteed. A spare set of clothes from home can be kept in the Forest School changing area in case your child gets particularly dirty, to avoid having to bring these in every week.

 Waterproofs, a warm hat and gloves should be brought if weather forecasts suggest the need.  We get outside every week, although high winds, lighting or torrential rain may prevent this.

 Jewellery

Pupils may wear a watch but no other jewellery is permitted. As piercings are not permitted (this includes clear plastic studs), if parents/carers and pupils wish to arrange a piercing, we suggest that this is done at the start of the summer holidays so that the wound has sufficient time to heal and so any piercings can be removed for the school day.

Hair Styles

Hair styles must be a natural colour, neat, tidy and in a formal style which ensures that hair is kept off the pupil’s face. Parents/carers should always consult, in advance, with the Headteacher if they are unsure as to the suitability of a change of style. Extreme hairstyles and haircuts are not permitted.  Shoulder length or longer hair must be tied back and/or kept off the face.

Makeup

Make-up, fake tan, nail varnish, fake nails or extensions are not permitted.

Mobile Phones

Mobile phones, Smart watches, music players or any other wifi enabled devices are not permitted in school without written permission. Once written permission has been agreed, these must be handed into the school office once the pupil enters school and this can be collected at the end of the school day.

BMS strategy to support pupils:

If a pupil arrives at school in the incorrect uniform, they must rectify this before they enter registration. Where the uniform cannot be corrected immediately, pupils will be taken to the BMS Support Station to borrow items. This should be done before 8.55am so that pupils are not late to registration. If there is no uniform to borrow then the pupil will be given one day’s grace to rectify the situation. After this time, or where there is no parental explanation, the pupil will receive a detention and a note will be placed in their school planner. If the situation continues, further consequences will follow as outlined in our Behaviour Policy. Please note, a doctor’s note must be provided where, for medical reasons, pupils cannot wear school shoes. Parents/carers will be contacted by letter or phone to discuss persistent breaches of the school dress code and a solution focused meeting will be arranged

BMS strategy to support parents/carers:

• Parents/carers will receive a copy of the pupil dress code annually;
• Any parent who has difficulty in supporting this policy should contact the school and a solution focused meeting will be arranged.
• Parents/carers are informed that if pupils disregard this policy they may be isolated from other pupils until they comply with the regulation.

BMS Support Station

In school we are very proud of our BMS Support Station, and our uniform support section is a huge part of this. We have supplies of shirts, polo shirts, school jumpers, skirts, trousers, PE socks, trainers, football boots and lots more in a variety of sizes and are very happy to support those families who may be in need of some help and support when it comes to providing school uniform. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch and we will do all that we can to help: admin@berwick.northumberland.sch.uk

In order to be able to continue to provide support to our school community, we will always gratefully receive any donations of school uniform that is no longer needed.