Uniform Information

The Governors’ Policy on College Uniform must be followed by all students in years 7 to 11. Please ensure the correct uniform is worn at all times and correct equipment is brought into school.

Uniform for Years 7 to 11 for 2025/26 Academic Year

ITEM	NOTES	MUST BE PURCHASED FROM OUR UNIFORM SUPPLIER	COMPULSORY OR OPTIONAL	SEASON
Blazer	Countesthorpe Academy Logo Black Blazer must be worn by all students. Blazers should always be worn to enter and exit lessons. In extreme heat communication will be sent home regarding the removal of blazers.	Yes	Compulsory for Years 7 to 11	All year round
Jumper	Plain black V neck jumper with Academy logo can be purchased by students in Years 7–11 as an extra layer under their blazer in colder weather. Jumpers are not an alternative to blazers, and should be worn without any alterations. Non-school uniform jumpers/tops/hoodies are not permitted and should not be worn[1].	Yes if electing to wear one (Optional uniform item)	Optional	All year round
Trousers	Plain grey tailored trousers[2]	No	Optional	All year round for boys or girls
Shorts	Plain grey tailored shorts[2]	No	Optional	Recommended for hotter weather in June/July
Years 7 & 8 – Logo Skirt	Countesthorpe Academy Plain grey knee length box pleated skirt with Logo.	Yes	Skirt is optional for all girls, however girls in Year 7 & 8 if choosing to wear a skirt, must wear this logo skirt. This skirt is recommended for other year groups too.	All year round for girls
Years 9 to 11 – Non Logo Skirt	Plain grey knee length box pleated skirt[3]	No	Optional for girls	All year round for girls
Shirt	Plain white shirt with collar that can be buttoned to the neck, long enough to be tucked in at all times[4]	No	Compulsory for all students in Years 7 to 11	All year round
Tie	Countesthorpe Academy Tie (traditional or clip on)	Yes or from our online CA shop	Compulsory for all students in Years 7 to 11	All year round
Socks	Plain grey or black socks. Over the knee socks should not be worn.	No	Compulsory for boys, compulsory for girls if they choose trousers	All year round
Tights/leggings	Black tights or plain natural skin tone preferred; if black leggings are worn, these should be all black cotton leggings (not sports leggings or with logos).	No	Compulsory for girls wearing a skirt	All year round
Shoes	Plain, all black (any logo must also be black), low heeled shoes or trainers suitable for Academy. Shoe laces should be black[5]	No	Compulsory unless wearing boots	All year round
Boots	Flat boots can be worn. Trousers should not be tucked in boots. Boots should be plain black including any lace up detail. No UGG style boots[6]	No	Optional for all students if they choose not to wear shoes as described above.	All year round
Coats	Students will need an additional (preferably warm and waterproof) coat for the colder months especially given that the Academy is split across two buildings.  Coats must not be worn in lessons. A hoody jumper is not permitted to be used as a coat[7]. Leather and denim jackets are not permitted.	No	Optional	Recommended for poorer weather rather than specific seasons.
Bags	Each student will be expected to carry an appropriate bag for school which can hold books and equipment.  No small handbag or backpack type bags. This should be able to hold at minimum an A4 folder / workbook. We would recommend a bag with a bottle holder too so that the risk of spilling liquid onto the student’s device is reduced.	No	Compulsory	All year round
Lanyard	Students must always wear their lanyard and ID card around their neck. (lanyard, ID card and holder)	No, initial ID cards issued for free when starting, replacement ones must be purchased from our online shop.	Compulsory	All year round

Additional Dress Code Requirements:

Skirts

MUST NOT BE ROLLED at the waist.

A simple way of gauging the correct length of a skirt is

“the length of the skirt should be below the student’s finger tips when they stand with their arms by their sides with their hands and fingers pointing down and their shoulders relaxed. Under no circumstances can a skirt be rolled at the waist or otherwise manipulated to make its length shorter”.

Jewellery

Studded earrings, a single nose stud, and/or a watch are permitted. Earlobe stretchers and bars are NOT permitted. Religious jewellery can be worn but must be under clothing.

Hair & Makeup

Make up must be discreet and kept to a minimum, hair colour should be in the range of natural hair colouring. No extreme hairstyles or colours. No false nails/nail extensions. Nails should be short for health and safety. False glued on eye lashes are not permitted. Eyelashes should be a natural length and thickness.

Students who are not correctly uniformed will be expected to borrow Academy uniform from our Uniform (if available) and will be issued with a breaktime detention on the same day. Repeated failures to attend school in the correct uniform may lead to more severe consequences.

At Countesthorpe Academy we want our students to be “the best they can be” and look and feel smart. We want them to be proud of the community to which they belong. It is expected that students will dress smartly and take pride in how they look. In coming to the Academy, parents and carers agree to support our policy in ensuring your child is correctly dressed. Uniform must be worn at all times, including the journey to and from school.

Pupils on day trips will be expected to wear uniform unless they are told otherwise.

PE KIT

The following items are compulsory for all pupils unless indicated:

Extra Guidance Around PE Uniform

Students in Years 11 can continue to wear current PE kit (including PE kit with the old CLCC logo) until such time as it needs replacing.

Aerosol deodorants/perfumes or air fresheners are not allowed. If deodorant is required a roll on or water based spray pump version is acceptable.

If for any reason your child does not have their PE kit or has a medical note explaining that they are unable to take part in the lesson, we are unable to make alternative provision. Our policy is similar to most secondary schools in that pupils who are not able to do PE are expected to change into their PE kit and join the PE group listening to the theory aspects and helping with duties as instructed by the teacher. This is also the same policy for outdoor lessons. It is therefore important that they have a coat and warm clothing to observe the lesson if they are outdoors.

If your child has a medical condition that is likely to last for several weeks, please contact your child’s PE teacher to explore arrangements that can be made in such exceptional circumstances.

Items with logos (those with a tick in the above tables) must be purchased from the listed supplier. Anything else can be purchased from other stores as long as they are within the policy.

The Headteacher’s decision is final.

Parents are reminded that the Academy’s Governing Body and Headteacher retain the right to insist that students attend Academy appropriately and sensibly dressed. They reserve the right to exclude students from activities where dress is considered unsuitable for health and safety reasons. Unsuitable dress includes:

• Shorts, leggings, trousers which are not in line with the Uniform Policy, or short skirts and crop tops
• Unprotected footwear
• Earrings and other jewellery which could be caught and pulled when moving around the academy and during practical lessons such as PE, Science, Design and Technology, Construction, Hair and Beauty etc
• Platform shoes or high heel shoes which are dangerous on floors and steps
• Wide, studded belts of any colour

Essential Equipment List

Finally, I would like to detail our Essential Equipment list. All students attending Countesthorpe Academy should have the following essential items of equipment for their lessons, preferably stored in a simple, clear pencil case.

• Pen, pencil, ruler, rubber, sharpener
• Purple pen
• Highlighter
• Calculator
• Earphones/Headphones*

*With more subjects making great use of multimedia technology on a range of devices in school, we feel that now is the right time to introduce personalised earphones/headphones.

We are not asking parents to send students into school with expensive Bluetooth/wireless ones (e.g. Apple AirPods). Our requirement is a simple, cheap and basic set of either earphones, or if uncomfortable, on-ear headphones that can connect to a computer, iPad etc using a 3.5mm audio jack. There are a number of options on Amazon and eBay for around £3, or sets can be purchased from local discount shops such as Poundland. Helpfully, we are selling at cost price, earphones via ParentPay.com for 50p each.

Thank you in advance for your support in ensuring your child is in the correct uniform and equipment for school.

How to order a School Uniform:

Uniform can be purchased from the school uniform provider – https://www.schoolwearsolutions.com

Items with logos (those with a tick in the above tables) must be purchased from the listed supplier. Anything else can be purchased from other stores as long as they are within the policy. The Headteacher’s decision is final.

Student ID Cards

When a child starts at the Academy they will be issued with an ID Card and lanyard, which should be worn at all times. Your child is provided with this at the beginning of their time with us and should be kept safe as they will not be issued with a new one. Replacement Cards and/or Lanyards can be purchase online through ParentPay.com

The ID card will allow students to:

• Pay for school lunches
• Book out library resources
• Use photocopiers

Students must wear their ID card and lanyard at all times; it is part of their uniform.

Parents are reminded that the Academy Governing Body and Principal retain the right to insist that students attend school appropriately and sensibly dressed. They reserve the right to exclude students from activities where dress is considered unsuitable for health and safety reasons. Unsuitable dress includes:

• Shorts, leggings, trousers which are not in line with the Uniform Policy, short skirts and crop tops
• Unprotected footwear
• Earrings and other jewellery which could be caught and pulled in Physical Education lessons
• Platform shoes or high heel shoes which are dangerous on floors and steps
• Wide, studded belts of any colour

ID cards – what are they used for?

At the beginning of the year as part of our uniform expectations we made it clear that all students must have an ID card on a school lanyard and clearly displayed. Some parents might ask themselves “but why?”

ID cards are used for security purposes and to identify/authenticate students.

From a security point of view all staff, students and visitors are expected to wear a school lanyard and ID badge – this is so that any unauthorised people on site can be spotted quickly and challenged. We take the safety of your child extremely seriously, and ID cards help us to safeguard all users of the Academy.

ID cards also help students authenticate with our electronic systems, such as our electronic door system, cashless catering system and our photocopiers. In addition they help staff identify students they might not normally teach so as to quickly deal with behaviour incidents. Without ID cards, these identification processes would take much longer. For instance, a quick scan of an ID card at the lunch till finds the student’s cashless account instantly, rather than the 30 seconds it takes to ask the student their name, search the system for them and check who they are.

If your child has lost their ID card and lanyard we ask that you purchase a replacement via ParentPay.com or using the cashier’s hatch – if these are purchased overnight, or before morning registration they will be available from the cashier’s hatch at break time.

In the event that your child has no money on their cashless account and they wish to purchase lunch, they will be allowed to go overdrawn so that they don’t go hungry, and a text message and/or email will be sent home explaining this. We would ask that you then top up your child’s account for the next day to clear the debt.

We hope that this clearly explains our rationale for ID cards, how they are used, and our procedures for dealing with problems that arise.

1. Other jumpers or hoodies are not allowed and will be confiscated. ↩
2. We do not allow: jeans, denim trousers, jeggings, leggings, trousers which are tight to the thigh, calf, or leg, trousers that do not cover the ankle, cords. ↩
3. We do not allow the following skirts: skater skirts, jersey/lycra skirts, denim skirts, tight skirts, skirts with a pattern. ↩
4. Polo shirts are not allowed. Shirts are to be worn with a tie at all times. ↩
5. The following shoes are not allowed: pumps, ballet style shoes, shoes with heels, shoes with any marking or logo, sling back or backless shoes. ↩
6. No UGG type boots are allowed. ↩
7. Denim/Leather jackets are not allowed.