Personal Presentation

At The Westleigh School, we believe that first impressions are important and for this reason, we expect our students to present themselves in a smart, business-like appearance at all times. By consistently wearing our school uniform to the highest standards, students are not only presenting a positive image of our school community, but also of themselves, as individuals.  

In all cases, students not conforming to the standards considered to be acceptable, within the context of our school policy on uniform and personal presentation, will be isolated until the issue has been resolved. 

In order to meet the required standard, students are expected to wear our school uniform correctly, e.g. shirt tucked in, top button fastened, school tie correctly worn (7 stripes below the knot) and blazer sleeves rolled down.

Furthermore, in meeting the expected standard for Personal Presentation, students must conform to the following requirements:

  • Hairstyles which are considered extreme in any way are NOT acceptable e.g. shaved heads, patterned shaving, ‘mullet’ cuts, unnatural or two-tone colours
  • Haircuts shorter than a No 2 blade are NOT allowed 
  • We acknowledge that Afro-textured hair is an important part of our Black staff and students’ racial, ethnic, cultural, and religious identities, and requires specific styling for hair health and maintenance. We, therefore, welcome Afro-textured hair worn in the following styles afros, locs, twists and braids. 
  • Excessive use of make-up is NOT acceptable – students wearing makeup, which is plainly visible, will be expected to remove it
  • Nail varnish and the wearing of false nails is NOT allowed 
  • Piercings of any description are NOT allowed.  

Confiscation

If any student is seen to be wearing jewellery or personal items, that are not in line with our uniform policy, the member of staff concerned will confiscate the item in the first instance. The item will be put into an envelope, clearly labelled with the student’s name and it will be placed in a lockable cupboard in Student Reception. 

Students will be allowed to collect the confiscated item at the end of the same school day from Student Reception. If any item is confiscated from the same student on more than one occasion in any half-term, Parents/Carers may be asked to collect the confiscated item from school.