Uniform

Uniform Expectations

As an Academy we are extremely proud of our school uniform which we believe reflects the high standards of the Academy. We strongly believe that being smart and well-presented gives all students the correct and positive mind-set required for a successful day in school. It reflects organisation, pride and unity amongst our school community hence why we place so much importance on ensuring all students respect the uniform rules and wear the uniform with pride.

  • ​Helps to promote positive attitudes and high standards 
  • Makes children feel equal to their peers in terms of appearance 
  • Gives pupils an identity and promotes sense of pride in the school 
  • Encourages every child to take pride in his/ her appearance 
  • Practical and smart 
  • Makes Barnsley Academy students easily identifiable

Therefore, our uniform is compulsory and consists of the following;

Blazers

A black blazer with embroidered United Learning badge must be worn by all students. Sleeves must be rolled down to the wrists at all times. (Food and drink cannot be carried around in blazer pockets but must be in school bags). The only badges which can be worn on student blazers are the ones provided by the school which are Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum & Diamond Ambassador Learner Badges. No other badges/broaches can be worn.  

Tie

A Barnsley Academy clip-on tie. No other type of tie will be allowed unless the student is part of a student group such as the Student Council – in which case ties will be provided by the Academy and most be worn correctly.

Trousers

Black Academy logoed school trousers. These trousers are only acceptable in one style for boys and one for girls as chosen by the Academy although we don’t mind which one of these styles are worn by girls or boys. 

Skirts

Black logoed skirt. These skirts are only acceptable in specific styles chosen by the Academy. Any other skirts, in any other style which are not the design chosen by the Academy will not be deemed appropriate. Skirts cannot be worn rolled up at the waistband and must be worn the full correct length.

Shirts

A white school shirt (long or short sleeved) must be worn with the top button fastened at all times. It is not appropriate for any item to be worn under school shirts unless it is plain white in colour. Students will be asked to remove/replace any item worn under shirts which isn’t plain white in colour.

Cardigans & Jumpers - Optional

Plain black V-neck wool/wool blend jumpers can be worn under blazers or a plain v neck wool/wool blend cardigan. The V-neck needs to show the Academy tie at all times. Jumpers and cardigans cannot be worn in place of a blazer. Any other style of jumper or cardigan is not acceptable in the Academy. 

PE Kit

All students are required to wear Barnsley Academy PE tops, black shorts or black plain tracksuit bottoms / leggings and black football socks. Plain black or navy-blue sweatshirts can be worn along with plain black or navy-blue waterproof kagool style coats in inclement weather.

No other colours are permitted and no large logos or designs on any item of PE kit. 

Footwear

All students must wear plain black, flat, polishable shoes. All footwear must be entirely black and have no coloured logos or soles and not be of ankle height. Boots of any sort are not allowed. Heeled footwear of any sort is not allowed. No Trainers.

Socks

Plain black socks only for both boys and girls. No over-knee socks can be worn.

Tights

Black tights can be worn but must be at least 40 denier.

School Bags

School bags are compulsory. All students should have a strong, rucksack style school bag that is big enough to contain a planner, pencil case, books and any other equipment outlined in the equipment list below. If food or drink items are brought to school, these must be placed in the student’s school bag. If a student has PE kit that does not fit into the bag, an additional bag may be brought to school for that separate purpose.

To support organisation, readiness for learning and equality, from September 2023 onwards, all new Year 7 students will be provided with a Barnsley Academy branded rucksack free of charge; this must be brought to school as part of the list of uniform items. There will be a phased roll-out of these branded school bags, which will be compulsory uniform items for different year groups according to the following roll-out schedule:

Academic Year

Applicable Year Groups

2023-24

Year 7

2024-25

Year 7 and 8

2025-26

Year 7, 8 and 9

2026-27

Year 7, 8, 9 and 10

2027-28

Year 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11

 

In addition, as with other uniform items, if for any reason a student is unable or has chosen not to bring an appropriate bag to school, the following procedure will happen:

Either:

  • Students will be offered to borrow a bag that is provided by the Academy and return the bag at the end of the day.
  • The student’s parent/carer will be contacted to bring the missing bag to the Academy. The students may be required to wait in the Reflection Room until the bag issue is resolved.

If we cannot contact the parent/carer or any other of the named contacts, and the student refuses to borrow a bag then they will be placed into the Reflection Room for the day until 2.50pm. Refusal to go to the Reflection Room may result in a Fixed Term Suspension for non-compliance with Academy rules.

Equipment

To support readiness for learning, all students are expected to come to school fully equipped each day with the following items: 1 x school bag, 1 x pencil case, 2 x black pens, 2 x green pens, 2 x red pens, 1 x pencil, 1 x rubber, 1 x ruler, 1 x scientific calculator (KS4). Equipment checks take place on BASE (Barnsley Academy Student Entrance) each morning as students enter the Academy.

Students without equipment will be given replacement items from BASE in the morning. Teachers will refer repeated instances of missing equipment during lessons to Heads of Year to ensure we are aware of any persistent issues that we may need to pass on to parents/carers. 

Water Bottle

Clear water bottle

Please note that the United Learning holds a copyright on their logo and therefore it cannot be used by anyone external to the Academy without previous permission from United Learning Academy Head Office.**

The following expectations apply to all students:

Jewellery

The only jewellery which is acceptable is one wristwatch. No SMART watches of any sort are allowed.
Any other form of jewellery is not allowed. Barnsley Academy does not allow facial piercings of any kind including 
transparent piercing retainers. Students will be asked to remove any other piercings and have them confiscated and will collect the item once they have completed a 50-minute detention at the end of the day for having prohibited jewellery. Failure to remove and hand over any offending item will result in the student spending the day in the Reflection, a consequence which will continue until the student adheres to the Academy rules. Any body piercings of any sort are not allowed (especially in the interest of Health and Safety) and the same rules apply as listed above.

Medical identity bracelets and necklaces can be worn with proof of a medical need. Other jewellery will be confiscated and placed in the school safe to be returned to students at the end of the school day after completion of their 50-minute detention.

Nails

Students wearing false nails will be asked to remove them; refusal to remove them will result in the student spending the day in the Reflection Room, a consequence which will continue until the student adheres to the Academy rules.

Tattoos are not allowed

The law states - ‘You must be at least 18 years before you can have a tattoo; it is illegal for anyone to have a tattoo under 18 even with parental consent’.  If a student does have a tattoo it must be covered at all times and never visible to anyone when in the Academy or representing the Academy – this includes during non-uniform days and on school trips etc…

Hair

No extreme hairstyle is allowed. This includes tramlines, Mohican or skinhead-type styles. It is at the School’s discretion as to what constitutes ‘extreme’ but usually involves shaven heads on any part of the hair or carved/patterned shapes/partings in short hairstyles, Mohican hairstyles, large back-combed hairstyles, multi-coloured/ unusually coloured or extremely vibrant coloured hair. We accept natural colourings e.g. black, brown, blonde, and natural red/auburn. Natural red is often the most difficult to interpret so as a rule, if red takes on a vivid tone we will ask for it to be altered as it doesn’t look natural. Students arriving in school with an unacceptable hairstyle will be sent to Reflection Room. If there is any ambiguity regarding whether a hairstyle is extreme or not, the final decision will be the Principal’s/Vice Principal’s.

Male and female students with long hair must tie it back for PE, Technology and Science lessons.

Make-Up

Minimum, natural-looking makeup can be worn by students. Heavy, pronounced eye-brows are not allowed and students will have to remove them first time of asking. Excessive, noticeable fake tan is also not allowed. False-eyelashes are not allowed or excessive mascara which cannot be described as ‘natural-looking’.

If there are any discrepancies regarding what is acceptable in terms of makeup/hair the final decision will be the Principal/Vice Principal’s.

Additional Information

Uniform Expectations - Daily Checks

Uniform checks are conducted every morning at the student entrance and throughout the day by staff. If for any reason a student is unable or has chosen not to wear full Academy uniform, the following procedure will happen:

Either:

  • Students will be offered to wear the uniform that is provided by the Academy and return the item of uniform at the end of the day (this will also apply for school bags).
  • The student’s parent/carer will be contacted to bring the missing uniform to the Academy. The students may be required to wait in the Reflection Room until the uniform issue is resolved.

If we cannot contact the parent/carer or any other of the named contacts, and the student refuses to borrow uniform then they will be placed into the Reflection Room for the day until 2.50pm. Refusal to go to the Reflection Room may result in a Fixed Term Suspension for non-compliance with Academy rules.

We will contact the parent/carer to discuss when the issue can be resolved and come to an agreed timeframe with support offered where required.

Full uniform is expected to be worn when students walk to and from the Academy at the start and end of each school day. Staff on duty before and after school will challenge any students breaching these rules as they enter/leave the Academy site.

Role of the Class Teachers and Support Staff
  • To ensure that students are in correct uniform and challenge any infringements, including sanctions, where appropriate.
  • The Form tutor will speak to children who do not wear the correct uniform during registration. They are to be referred to their Head of Year for uniform to be corrected or for sanctions to be applied for repeated offences or refusal.
  • Teachers will check uniform upon entry/exit from every lesson and ensure it is appropriate.
Role of the Head of Years
  • The Head of Year is to ensure that pupils comply with the uniform policy agreed by the governing body.
  • The Head of Year has a duty to enforce the school uniform throughout the school community, as part of the duty within maintenance of day-to-day discipline in the school.
  • The Head of Year will speak to the parents of children who persistently do not wear the correct uniform.
  • The school will follow the DfE guidelines and not consider exclusion from the school where a student fails to comply with the school’s rules on uniform but engages with the support offered by school.
Role of the Parents/Guardians
  • To ensure that their child / children adhere to the school’s uniform policy.
  • Ensure that they come to school in correct uniform every day unless there are special circumstances such as non-uniform days.
  • To communicate proactively with school over any genuine uniform issues to allow school to support their child appropriately.
  • To ensure that they have all equipment for the day.
  • To support the school in sanctioning students as per policy
PE Policy
  • Students will be given kit from PE supplies to borrow if they do not bring kit.
  • Sanctions will be imposed by the PE departments for students who persistently fail to bring kit to school.
  • Students who are unable to participate in PE for medical reasons must bring a note but they are still required to bring their kit and change as they can assist with other elements of the lesson.
  • No jewellery may be worn during PE.
  • Whilst piercings are not permitted within the Academy, any students wearing plastic retainers in the nose or ears will be asked to take them out for PE and still participate.
  • Students are also expected to wear their hair tied back in order to follow health and safety regulations for the subject.
Branded items

The term ‘branded item’ is not just an item with a logo. It is used to describe an item of clothing with distinctive characteristics which make it unique to the school or trust. As a general rule, if an item cannot be purchased at a range of retailers it is likely to be a branded item.

Barnsley Academy Branded Items:

Barnsley Academy Tie

Barnsley Academy Blazer – we have sourced 3 providers for our school blazers, these have been chosen on locality to the school and pricing. Our third provider was sourced via a parental suggestion based on costing but this is an online retailer.

Barnsley Academy Trousers, Formal Shorts and Skirts – we have sourced 2 local providers for these uniform items. Each item is available in a range of styles to meet the requirement of various body types and sizes. (Formal Barnsley Academy shorts are an optional item that can be worn all year round.)

PE Top – Our PE top is the only compulsory item of the kit that is branded; all other items are available from high street stores or online.

Optional Jumper or Cardigan – Barnsley Academy allows students to wear either a school logo branded or plain black V necked jumper or button up cardigan. These are available branded from our school uniform providers or unbranded from high street stores or online.

Engagement with uniform suppliers

Barnsley Academy regularly reviews prices with our current suppliers, and we endeavour to work with these suppliers to keep costs low. We do this by keeping uniform changes to a minimum to allow suppliers to purchase stock in bulk.

Provision of second-hand uniforms

We regularly donate uniform items to the ‘Caring for Kendray’ charity shop who distribute uniform to our local community free of charge. We also encourage parents of Year 11 children to donate uniform items either back to the school or pass them on to other families.

We also support Academy parents using the Barnsley Academy Uniform Facebook Page and also the Barnsley Academy Parents Facebook Page where uniform is re-distributed either free of charge or for a minimal cost between parents.

Financial Hardship

Where families are suffering from financial hardship, they are encouraged to contact Barnsley Academy and discuss what support can be put in place for their child(ren) with our Safeguarding Team. We will work with our families and local service providers to ensure that uniform is not a barrier to accessing school.

Families can discuss uniform items being placed onto their childs ParentPay account, your child's account must not be in arrears and uniform items must be paid off in full during that school term.

Complaints regarding uniform

Disputes about the cost of school uniforms should be resolved locally and should be pursued in accordance with the school’s complaints policy.

Equalities

All children have equal access to wearing school uniform regardless of their culture, race, religion, gender, disability or ability. We ensure that the set uniform respects other policies such as Equalities and allows for individual sets of circumstances of all groups and individuals. Barnsley Academy is committed to creating a positive climate that will enable everyone to work free from racial intimidation and harassment and to achieve their full potential.

Although our Uniform policy does not explicitly detail gender neutral and non-binary uniform options, there is flexibility for those affected, and we will discuss your child’s needs on a case-by-case basis; please do contact the school to discuss this further.

Uniform Providers

Vortex School Wear

If you wish to purchase uniform in person, please contact Vortex on 0800 195 44 55, or alternatively visit the store:

Vortex Clothing Co. 
Unit 2/3,
Grange Lane Industrial Estate,
Barnsley,
South Yorkshire, 
S71 5AS

Vortexschoolwear.co.uk

My Clothing - Online Only

My Clothing supply quality The Barnsley Academy uniform in your school's colours, complete with embroidered The Barnsley Academy logos.

MyClothing.com

Smart Uniforms - Barnsley

BARNSLEY BRANCH

25 New Street, Barnsley S70 1RZ
TEL / FAX: 01226 207 300

Smartuniforms.co.uk