M   Manners

H    Hard Work

H    Honesty

S=  Success

Uniform Consultation Decision – Important News

After two months of extensive consultation with students, parents and staff, the Governing Body has decided there WILL be a new uniform in place for September 2010 as part of our on-going determination to achieve the highest of standards as we move towards our new £22 million building.  The uniform will be compulsory for next year’s Year 7 – 10 and optional for the new Year 11 in September.

This new uniform, which will come in at around £50 for the complete outfit, reflects the ambition and seriousness with which Mossley Hollins High School will be taking learning and standards with us to our new site.  We want to provide nothing less than an outstanding education for our community and we will expect nothing less than outstanding dress, learning habits, progress and behaviour from our students.  We fully expect every student and the whole community to share our ambition to be the best we can be.  The new uniform is part of that package.

Thank you so much for your support and comments during our consultation.  We wrote to every parent and student directly.  The majority were definitely in favour of a change of uniform (the minority were against or had further questions around cost and style).  Our Business Manager and team met with over 200 students.  Close to 70% of them were in favour of the changes proposed.  Teacher representatives and middle/senior leaders supported the change.  Governors supported the change, taking cost, quality, style, colours and image into account.

We are fully aware that, despite keeping costs down by choosing our supplier and uniform carefully, there will be an initial outlay, at first, for many families.  There is no way round this except never to change.

Next week there will be a letter from the Headteacher and Chair of Governors to all parents, carers and students giving more detail about: our NEW UNIFORM; the reasons for change; the response to the consultation; and our payment plan.   Your views were debated over a lengthy period and they have affected the detail of our decision in ways which will be explained in the letter. 

Mobile Phones and Electrical Devices

Please ensure that mobile phones and electrical devices are not brought into school.  We would hate to confiscate, for four weeks, any brought into school.  Please ensure such devices remain at home.  If, for safety reasons or in an emergency, your child requires her/his phone for the journey to and from school s/he must hand it in to reception (to be put in our safe) during the day.  This prevents loss, damage, theft and inappropriate use.

Uniform 

We believe the way our students dress for school tells us how much respect and loyalty they have for Mossley Hollins and how seriously they take the business of learning.   To make things much easier for parents/carers and students we can give you advance warning that we will immediately send home to change any student who arrives: in shoes that are not plain black (no trainers or shoes with coloured symbols or marks - please do not buy such footwear for school - this is absolutely non-negotiable);  socks that are not either plain black or navy blue (boys),  black, white or navy blue (girls) with an extreme hairstyle (hair with sharp cuts of different lengths, lines or patterns,  or of extreme, unnatural colours)

•·      All jewellery (except a wrist watch) should be removed at home before school.

This is not open to negotiation and we do not want to send one child home to change, so we expect our students to dress absolutely appropriately for the business of learning in our school.   We are very appreciative of the fact that the vast majority of our students observe this dress-code wonderfully well.