What children wear

What applies to every child

All children are expected to be sent in to the setting in clothing that is adherent to the dress code laid out below. Each child should be sent in looking smart, clean and tidy. Bags, shoes, coats, pencil cases, lunch bags and water bottles should be cleaned regularly. This is especially important for infection control since regular washing reduces the risk of cross infection. Bags, shoes, coats, lunch bags and pencil cases should be washed as a minimum every 4-6 weeks, whilst water bottles and lunch boxes should be washed out daily.

The setting's dress code is provided below, please read over this guidance carefully before purchasing suitable clothing. Do also ensure all clothes including shoes are clearly labelled with your child's name.

What Preschool children wear

Young children are always happiest in comfortable, practical, easy-to-wear clothing, which they can put on and remove independently or with minimal assistance. We suggest all garments are made from cotton or alternative natural, breathable fabrics where possible and be suitable for all weather. To promote independence, clothes should not have any complicated fastenings or straps and must be easy to put on and remove by children without assistance.

What Home Education Centre children wear

Children aged 7+ attending the Home Education Centre have a smarter, more formal dress code to signal their new phase of development and learning. This change in dress code will apply to children as they enter the Home Education Centre. Guidance can be found in the dress code below.

The dress code for all children

For all children:

• No large logos, branded merchandise, cartoon characters (e.g. Disney, superheroes, branded merchandising)

• Sportswear logos on trainers are acceptable

• Indoor shoes - can be slippers or plimsolls. To protect children's feet, all shoes and slippers should have a hard sole and should not be open toe or open back. Slippers must be clearly labelled with your child's name.

The dress code for children aged 7 and over at the Home Education Centre

For children aged 7+ at the Home Education Centre:

• Girls: Hijab and a full-length dress, or abaya or a knee-length dress with sleeves with trousers or a maxi skirt and top with sleeves.

• Boys: Islamic hat, smart-casual attire (e.g. trousers with polo shirt or smart Islamic dress).

• No casualwear such as joggers or loungewear will be allowed for boys or girls

Outdoor shoes

Outdoor footwear should be sensible shoes or trainers. Open toe and open back sandals are not permitted. Shoes with laces can only be worn if your child can fasten shoelaces independently.

Indoor shoes

Outdoor shoes are not permitted in the room so please provide your child with a pair of indoor shoes that we will keep at the setting. Indoor shoes can be slippers or plimsolls. To protect children's feet, all shoes and slippers should have a hard sole not a fabric sole and should not be open toe or open back. Slippers must be clearly labelled with your child's name.

Outdoor coat or jacket

In the winter all children must bring a warm coat with a hood since children will go outdoors in all weather, in addition they should bring a warm hat and gloves/scarf. In warmer transitional weather such as Autumn, Spring and Summer all children should bring in a rain jacket since children must be prepared to go outdoors in rainy weather.

Lost property

Please make sure that all your children's clothes are clearly labelled with your child's name. If an item of clothing is forgotten at the setting, please speak to a member of staff who will try to locate the item of clothing. If an item of clothing has not been labelled it will be placed in the lost property box. If the item of clothing is not reclaimed within one month the setting will discard it or use it as spare clothing. If you still cannot make any headway with reclaiming your lost property, then please send an email to [email protected] for the matter to be resolved.