Standards & Uniform

Dear Parents/Carers,

We hope that you had a restful Christmas break and new year. All students will return to the academy tomorrow and period one will be tutor time.

This letter is a reminder for all stakeholders regarding our expectations on student standards, particularly around conduct and uniform.

Punctuality

Part of our role at the academy is to prepare students for their futures and help them get into the right habits, including the importance of punctuality. The students first lesson starts at 8.30am every day, therefore students should arrive at their class in plenty of time for the start of the lesson, ideally no later than 8.20am. Unless there are extenuating circumstances that we are made aware of, if a student is late to school, they will be issued with a 15 minute detention on the same day.

Standards & Uniform

Please find below a table as a polite reminder of the standard required for both uniform and equipment at the academy.

• Coats/Jackets – should be plain with NO writing or commercial logos. Denim or leather coats are not permitted. Students should bring a coat during Modules 2-4. Students are also welcome to bring a plain umbrella if rain is forecast during the school day.
• Jewellery – Students are NOT allowed to wear jewellery. Rings are dangerous for many activities and therefore unsuitable for the academy. Necklaces and bracelets are similarly unsuitable; however, an exception may be made for religious bangles. One pair of small stud earrings may be worn, one in each ear. No facial jewellery (including clear studs) or piercings are permitted. Students will be asked to remove the items and they will be confiscated for parents/carers to collect and a log on Bromcom.
• Watches may be worn and handed to a teacher during certain activities such as PE. The Academy is not responsible for the loss or damage of any jewellery.
• Nails – fake nails of any kind, including tips are not permitted. Nail varnish is not suitable and not permitted. Students will be required to remove nail varnish or lose all social time if wearing fake nails.
• Make-up – fake tan, fake eyelashes, lipstick, mascara and excessive make up is not suitable for the Academy. Students in Year 7 and 8 are not allowed to wear make-up of any kind. Students in Year 9-11 may wear subtle, natural make-up. Students wearing excessive make-up will be required to remove it.
• Hair – Extreme hair colours are not permitted and hair must be one tone and a natural colour. Unusual hairstyles, including tram lines are not permitted.
• Trainers – are not permitted. Smart, formal, plain shoes only. Students who do not have the correct footwear will lose their social time.

The Academy has the final decision on standards of uniform. Students who do not comply with the above standards will be sanctioned accordingly. This could be losing all social time or isolation for standards that are not addressed. This includes:

• Blazers being compulsory at all times. Jumpers (as detailed above) may be worn in addition to the academy blazer but not in place of the blazer.
• Skirts must be worn in the appropriate manner detailed above. Rolling skirts up is not allowed.
• False eyelashes are not permitted at any stage.
• Single stud earrings are the only permitted item of jewellery allowed.

On-site Conduct

We are delighted with the conduct that all students exhibit most of the time and appreciate that children may not always make the right choice and must reflect to ensure they are able to make suitable choices moving forward. This philosophy underpins our behaviour for learning policy and as you may be aware, we update all policies at least once per year to reflect the evolution of the education and wider societal landscape.

We would like to remind all stakeholders that energy drinks (including Prime) are prohibited items and not allowed on site at any stage. If students are caught with them, they will be confiscated. Vapes are also prohibited – we have a zero-tolerance policy and any student caught in possession of a vape will be sanctioned with a fixed term suspension (in line with our behaviour policy).

Off-site Conduct

All students represent the academy at all times, as part of our community. This includes when wearing the academy uniform, particularly to and from the academy. Students must conduct themselves in a positive manner at all times and ensure that they uphold the values of our academy as a member of our community. These expectations also extend into the wider community and online.

Should you have any queries in relation to this communication, in the first instance please contact your child’s College Admin Office (see contact details further below).

Thank you for your ongoing support.

Yours sincerely,

Mr M Gore
Principal

Apollo College – apollo-admin@wilmingtonacademy.org.uk
Minerva College – minerva-admin@wilmingtonacademy.org.uk
Jupiter College – jupiter-admin@wilmingtonacademy.org.uk