Since the new design was made public, on July 31, there has been a petition called “Stop the new Uniform” with almost 1000 signatures, angry letters to the school board and a string of email and social media complaints. The new uniform includes a blazer and tie, white shirts and a woollen jumper. Concerns raised include increased costs, practicality, the environmental sustainability of the complete change (landfilling old uniforms) and the formality of adding a blazer and tie.
Principal Steve McCracken says the new uniform is both more formal and tidier – by comparison he describes the current look as “scruffy”. Sandals and hoodies are gone. McCracken says the main purpose of the refresh was to bring the school together – eliminating separate junior and senior uniforms.
“It was also to improve the pride that the community and learners have, and raise expectations,” he says. “If you look good, you feel good, you act good.” Before the uniform design was unveiled, there was a survey of the school community, consultation with staff, and focus groups with students which, McCracken says, overall indicated the desire for a more formal dress code.
He says the design was finalised after the feedback was in, not before. “We genuinely had no preconceived notions about the look, just the need to have one uniform, school-wide,” McCracken says. “The increase in formality was as a result of feedback.
” He says staff have been very positive about the refreshed unif.