Clearly there are a wide range of opinions about the school uniform, with the girls’ winter kilt being an example of an item of uniform that attracted a lot of comment; some very positive and some very negative. 

 Some consistent themes are:

• Over 75% of respondents feel the uniform needs some changes.
• Red is the most important colour consideration.
• Gender neutral options along with warm/cold weather options are important considerations. These are followed by jersey (strong parent support albeit for a change in fabric) and the blazer and tie (more student than parent support).
• The balance of cost, durability and comfort is an important  consideration. 
• Comments suggest a leaning towards a more formal than a more casual uniform although a range of views expressed.
• The girls summer dress need replacing. Lots of negative feedback, little or no positive feedback.
• Shorts and/or trousers should be an option for all students, not just the boys.
• Concerns about the cost of the kilt and while there was some support for the kilt, there were more negative than positive comments.
• Boys grey socks need replacing

 Other less consistent themes included:

• White shirts being hard to keep clean.
• Current option of uniform for Year 9-12 and mufti for Year 13 was the most supported option in this section
• Students indicated Year 11-13 wearing a different uniform was the next best option   

       whilst for parents, everyone in the same uniform was the next best option.

• For students, regulations such as hair colour and jewellery, were not something they saw as important.

 There were a number of other really constructive comments that whilst being considered, are not shared here due do being more one-off comments than consistently indicated. 

Next Steps:

From here, we will be contacting uniform suppliers to come up with a few options that we will then collect further feedback on from students, staff and parents.  Please note that due to supply and contract issues, any uniform changes will not start next year and they will be phased in over time from 2023. Whilst there were some mainly student comments that suggested mufti for all, this is not something we are looking at as an option.

We will keep you posted and as mentioned, will be gathering a 2nd round of feedback after some options are put forward. This will hopefully happen by the end of Term 3

Ngā mihi

Reece Goldsmith