All States-maintained schools have some form of uniform. This ranges from formal blazers and ties to sweatshirts and polo shirts.
The adoption of a school uniform can play a valuable role in contributing to the ethos of a school.
A uniform can:
- instil pride in the school, encourage pupils to identify with it and to support its ethos
- promote positive behaviour and discipline
- help to protect pupils from peer group pressure to dress in a certain fashion
- help to promote cohesion between groups from different backgrounds
Individual school will have their own uniform policy, which outlines what is acceptable and what sanctions will be imposed if the school policy is not adhered to. These are usually available on the school website or prospectus.
In 2011 the then Education Board agreed that all High Schools, including St Anne's in Alderney, should adopt a more formal uniform moving away from the sweatshirt and polo shirt and introducing a blazer and tie.
All students who will be in the new Colleges at the St Sampson's site or Les Beaucamps site when the extensions to those buildings are finished in September 2022 will wear the new uniform from September 2020. This will provide a two-year transition period during which students in these year groups can be brought together in a comprehensive transition programme aimed at promoting integration and cohesion. At the point where students move from closing sites to their new College buildings they will feel fully part of the new Lisia School and their respective colleges (de Saumarez or Victor Hugo).
New uniform arrangements from September 2020
Introducing new uniform arrangements from September 2020 rather than later will also reduce the number of students who are required to change uniform as they complete their transition to Lisia School. Full funding of the uniform changes is being provided for all students required to change - and to avoid the wasted expenditure that would be incurred if the incoming Year 7 cohorts in September 2020 and September 2021 were required to purchase outgoing uniform only to change uniform again in September 2022.
Older students who will complete their education on their current school sites are not required to change uniform. Uniform suppliers have provided assurances that any necessary replacements of existing uniform will still be available over the transition period.
All students currently in Year 6 and below will start secondary school in the new uniform.
The following table shows details of which student year groups are required to change uniform;
Year groups who will be in the new Colleges in September 2022 | Year groups who will not be in the new Colleges in September 2022 | |
Current School | New uniform fully funded by the Committee to be worn from September 2020 | No change - students will continue to wear current uniform until they complete Year 11 |
Les Beaucamps High School | Current Year 7s Current Year 8s | Current Year 9s Current Year 10s Current Year 11s |
La Mare de Carteret High School | Current Year 7s Current Year 8s | Current Year 9s Current Year 10s Current Year 11s |
St Sampson's High School | Current Year 7s Current Year 8s | Current Year 9s Current Year 10s Current Year 11s |
The Grammar School and Sixth Form Centre | Current Year 7s | Current Year 8s Current Year 9s Current Year 10s Current Year 11s |
School and Colleges' names
From September 2020 the names of the new 11-18 School and its two Colleges - Lisia School composed of de Saumarez College and Victor Hugo College - will come into use in order to support a new, shared culture and a successful transition process. Over the course of the transition period, the existing names of schools will still be used to refer to school sites. The names that will be used for each site over the transition process are shown in the table below.
Current name | Transition process | Final name |
Les Beaucamps High School | de Saumarez College (Les Beaucamps Site) | de Saumarez College |
La Mare de Carteret High School | de Saumarez College (La Mare de Carteret site) | Site will close in July 2022 |
St Sampson's High School | Victor Hugo College (St Sampson's site) | Victor Hugo College |
The Grammar School and Sixth Form Centre | Victor Hugo College (Grammar School and Sixth Form Centre site) | Site will close in July 2023 |
Other schools providing secondary education
As previously decided by the States in 2018, Le Murier School, Les Voies School and St Anne's School in Alderney will continue as distinct schools and will not form part of the new Lisia School or 11-18 Colleges.
Le Murier School currently shares a uniform with St Sampson's High School. The Committee's working assumption is that in the future Le Murier School will share a uniform with Victor Hugo College. If further consultation with students and staff at Le Murier School indicates that this is the preferred option, students in Years 7 and 8 at Le Murier School will receive the new uniform along with students in the same year groups at St Sampson's High School. There will also be further consultation with students and staff at Le Murier School about school insignia, use of logos, etc.
There are no changes planned to the uniforms at Les Voies School or St Anne's School in Alderney.
Parents and carers of students in the year groups required to change uniform will in due course receive further information about the provision of new uniform.
Parents and carers of current Year 6 students in primary schools will receive uniform lists after school places are confirmed in March, as is normally the case.
Alternative garments will be available for children who cannot wear conventional uniform and the existing arrangements for Uniform Allowance will remain in place for all students who are eligible.
The States of Guernsey operates a means-tested grant scheme to help parents with the cost of buying school uniforms. Grants are awarded on a sliding scale dependant on the parents' residual income once certain allowances have been made.
The uniform grant scheme is administered by Social Security. We require proof of income and rent/mortgage before we can process an application. A copy of the application form for a uniform grant can be accessed here