Full, approved uniform is to be worn to school and parents are expected to support school policy on uniform. Most of our uniform can be purchased from the school uniform retailer of your choice, however the school tie, jumper/cardigan and the PE T-shirt with the school logo, which is all compulsory, must be purchased from Brigade or Monkhouse (previously Simmonds). All Leigh Academy Paddock Wood uniform supplied by Brigade and Monkhouse can be bought online. Alternatively, Monkhouse has a shop on Calverley Road, Tunbridge Wells. Some second hand uniform items may be available for sale and we regularly sell these at parent events.
For further information, please contact the academy directly.
Uniform expectations
Standard uniform requirements:
Shirt: Plain white cotton or polyester-cotton collared shirt, long or short-sleeved.
Tie: Purchased from our retailer with corresponding colours for your child’s house (see below).
Trousers/Shorts/Skirts: Formal grey trousers or skirts.
Jumper or cardigan: Navy V-neck school jumper embroidered with the Leigh Academy Paddock Wood logo (compulsory).
Footwear: Plain black shoes (not trainers or boots), polishable and appropriate for school use. Not trainers, boots or shoes with a raised heels.
Socks: white, grey or black.
Mid shin length, no over the knee socks.
The school operates a house system, and each pupil is assigned a house on admission. The tie colour corresponds to their house, as follows:
- Ardhi – red striped tie
- Bahari – blue striped tie
- Nyasi – green striped tie
All ties are available through our approved uniform supplier and must be worn at all times as part of the full school uniform.
Additional uniform for Winter/Outdoor Education Uniform
Children must have appropriate, name labelled outdoor wear that can protect them from both cold and damp weather conditions. On some occasions, children will be participating in outdoor learning and so need to have suitable outdoor wear. For example, a coat, waterproof, black/navy hat or gloves. Umbrellas are not permitted for health and safety reasons.
Alongside our existing shirts, ties and jumpers, students may choose to wear:
- Optional grey pinafore dress with white socks or grey tights.
- Children must have appropriate named outdoor wear that can protect them from both cold and damp weather conditions.
- Wellington boots may be worn on children’s inward journey, during inclement weather, but children must bring suitable shoes to change into.
Summer Uniform
Alongside our existing shirts, ties and jumpers, students may choose to wear:
- Summer dress in blue and white checks with white socks.
- Short sleeve white shirt.
- Grey shorts.
- Children may wear suitable hats for playtimes.
To encourage the children to take pride in their appearance, their shirts are to be tucked in when they are around the academy and on visits and they are to have their top buttons fastened. Shirts should be long enough so that they remain tucked in and collars wide enough to allow children to feel comfortable once their top button is fastened.
PE Kit
- Navy/Black sports shorts which need to be longer than mid-thigh. Nike pro, leggings (or shorts which sit higher than mid-thigh) are not appropriate for school.
- House coloured tee shirt with academy logo.
- Appropriate Trainers.
- Plain, non-branded navy or black tracksuits may be worn in colder weather for outdoor PE and games.
Naming Clothing and Property
VERY IMPORTANT – Please ensure all clothing and property is clearly marked so that lost articles may be easily traced and returned. The academy cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage of pupils’ property and valuables.
Money and Valuables
Children are discouraged from bringing money or valuables to school other than when requested by the academy. Where this is unavoidable, money and valuables should never be left in cloakrooms or children’s trays but given to the class teacher or academy office for safekeeping until the end of the day.
Jewellery
“Schools have a duty of care to ensure students are able to participate actively without unnecessarily endangering themselves or those working around them. A clear and consistently applied policy for the removal of personal effects should be in place. The Association for Physical Education (afPE) strongly recommends the practice of removing all personal effects at the commencement of every lesson to establish a safe working environment. This applies to all ear and body piercings, including retainer and expander earrings.”
On health and safety grounds, we do not allow children to wear jewellery in our academy. Parents are respectfully requested to support this requirement to prevent loss and/or injury. Small earring studs may be worn in pierced ears, but these must be removed for physical activity (PE, swimming etc). We ask that the children remove these studs themselves, prior to the lesson. If ears have been newly pierced, they can be covered with micropore tape (to be provided by the parent) to prevent injury. If children are unable to cover them themselves, then parents must do this in the morning before coming to school. Once the piercings have healed (no more than 10 weeks), earrings must be removed for all physical activity. We please ask that if your child has had their ears pierced, that you inform the office so we are aware that these will be covered.
Haircuts & Appearance
Long hair should be tied back with a plain band or tie for reasons of hygiene and safety. We like our children to have a smart appearance and so the academy does not permit children to have haircuts that could serve as a distraction to other children or draw attention to a child in an unhelpful way. This includes shaved heads or patterns shaved into the hair or the use of bright hair dye.
Parents should also be aware that transfers or tattoos are not permitted. Children should not wear make-up or nail varnish as part of their school uniform and will be asked to remove this by the following day. Acrylic nails are not permitted as they can cause injury to others.
Sports Footwear for PE
The academy wants all children to grow into healthy adults. We believe that it is dangerous for children to wear the incorrect footwear for physical activity. Please ensure that children wear trainers with sufficient ankle support and great/tread to fully partake in the endeavours of Physical Education (both indoors and outdoors). We will only
Lost Property
Items mislaid by children are kept in year group areas for 24 hours before being taken to the Lost Property box in the school office. We endeavour to return all named property however, if uniform or items are without a name, these will be taken to the office.
Second-hand Uniform
The academy strongly supports the reusing and recycling of uniforms. Any unwanted items of uniform may be given to the academy office for the second hand uniform sale.