Uniform and appearance policy

We take pride in our school and our pupils, and we think it is important that is reflected in how our pupils look as they go about their studies.

Our uniform is aimed at giving pupils a professional and purposeful outlook, reducing bullying by removing expensive branded items, and giving a sense of community and belonging.

How to order uniform

Mercia uniform is available from:

Whittakers Schoolwear
Junction 6 Business Park
Whitebirk Industrial Estate
Lower Philips Road
Blackburn
BB1 5UD

Tel: 01254 582685

www.whittakersschoolwear.co.uk/product-category/sheffield/

Our school uniform

We are very mindful of the financial strain of buying school uniform and work very hard to ensure our uniform is affordable to all families.

Please contact us directly if you are in need of support, we may be able to provide second-hand uniform to some families.

Many of the items below can be purchased from a range of outlets and we encourage families to ‘shop around’ for the best value.

Please note, only the items marked with an ‘*’ must be bought from our uniform supplier, Whittakers.

Boys

Compulsory branded items

  • Mercia grey and red pipe blazer with the Mercia badge on the pocket
  • School tie, tied correctly and no more than 5cm above the waist line
  • Black school bag with Mercia logo. This must be brought to school every day
  • Mercia red and black reversible jersey with Mercia logo AND/OR Mercia red and black unisex polo with Mercia logo

Compulsory non-branded items

  • Plain white shirt with collar
  • Plain black, full length, tailored trousers. Not very tight-fitting legs. Not jeans, leggings, jeggings, jogging bottoms, tracksuits, or cords
  • Plain black socks
  • Plain black formal shoes. No trainers, no boots, no suede, no velcro, no hybrids
  • Belts where worn should be plain black with a small buckle
  • Coats must be worn in adverse weather. No denim, no leather, no logos or patterns

Non-compulsory branded items

  • Mercia grey and red pipe V-neck jumper with the school badge on the pocket (optional)
  • Elite red and black sport short
  • Mercia black and red sport sock

PE kit

  • Mercia red and black reversible jersey with Mercia logo AND/OR Mercia red and black unisex polo with Mercia logo
  • Black tracksuit bottoms
  • Mercia black and red sport sock OR a plain black sports sock
  • Trainers for indoor use
  • Trainers/boots for outdoor use
  • In winter a plain black tracksuit top or sweatshirt is permitted for outdoor activities

Sixth Form

Scholars in our sixth form must wear a uniform.

This is largely the same as the main school apart from a slightly different blazer and different tie.

Girls

Compulsory branded items

  • Mercia grey and red pipe blazer with the Mercia badge on the pocket
  • School tie, tied correctly and no more than 5cm above the waist line
  • Black school bag with Mercia logo. This must be brought to school every day
  • Mercia red and black reversible jersey with Mercia logo AND/OR Mercia red and black unisex polo with Mercia logo

Compulsory non-branded items

  • Plain white shirt or blouse with collar
  • Plain black pleat skirt, below knee length, not excessively tight; OR plain black, full length, tailored trousers. Not very tight-fitting legs. Not jeans, leggings, jeggings, jogging bottoms, tracksuits, or cords
  • Plain black socks; or black plain non-patterned tights. Black knee-high socks are permitted
  • Plain black, flat shoes with enclosed toe and heel. No trainers, no boots, no suede, no velcro, no hybrids
  • Belts, where worn, should be plain black with a small buckle
  • Coats must be worn in adverse weather. No denim, no leather, no logos or patterns

Non-compulsory branded items

  • Mercia grey and red pipe V-neck jumper with the school badge on the pocket (optional)
  • Elite red and black sport short OR Elite red and black sport skort
  • Mercia black and red sport sock

PE kit

  • Mercia red and black reversible jersey with Mercia logo AND/OR Mercia red and black girls fitted polo with Mercia logo
  • Elite red and black sport short OR Elite red and black sport skort
  • Black tracksuit bottoms
  • Mercia black and red sport sock OR a plain black sports sock
  • Trainers for indoor use
  • Trainers/boots for outdoor use
  • In winter a plain black tracksuit top or sweatshirt is permitted for outdoor activities

Sixth Form

Scholars in our sixth form must wear a uniform.

This is largely the same as the main school apart from a slightly different blazer and girls do not need to wear a tie.

Important points

Note the following points:

  • We do not allow full or partial face covering.
  • Hijabs should be completely plain black. These should be fully tucked into the pupil’s school shirt so that the complete shirt collar and tie are fully visible.
  • Shirts and ties should be worn appropriately. Shirts must be tucked in and collars buttoned and ties worn neither too long nor too short.
  • Coats, gloves and scarfs are not allowed to be worn in the school building. Hats are not permitted.
  • Full school uniform should be worn correctly on the way to school, throughout the school day, and on the journey home.
  • All items of clothing, including bags, must be clearly marked with the pupil’s full name. Sew-on labels are preferable to iron-on labels.
  • Should there be any questions as to what acceptable school uniform is, please contact the school to clarify matters beforehand.
  • If pupils are found to be wearing incorrect uniform or inappropriate clothing we will contact parents to resolve the issue. The pupil will be placed in isolation. Uniform is checked during the ‘line up’ every day.
  • Pupils must go home in full uniform, unless they have had sport or PE.

Equipment

Pupils are regularly reminded about the equipment expectations at Mercia School. Staff support pupils each morning with their equipment, making sure they are fully prepared and organised for the school day.

To support pupils, a stationery shop is open every morning. Where required, pupils are supported to purchase equipment.

We do not support expensive stationery purchases. We stock the basic equipment at school, for your convenience. Any payment made is deemed a donation to the school fund to support our enrichment offer.

Equipment is available from the school for the following prices:

  • Art sketch pad (a compulsory purchase) – £3.00
  • Maths calculator – £10.00
  • Pencil case with all equipment – £5.00

Compulsory equipment list

School bag

A black Mercia rucksack from Whittakers.

School diary

Provided by the school. Replacements will need to be purchased by parents at a cost of £5 if the diary is lost, damaged or defaced.

Pencil case

A robust pencil case that is plain and clear.

This must contain:

  • Black pen x 3 (biro only, no clicker or roller ball pens)
  • Green pen x 3
  • Pencil x 3
  • A sharpener
  • An eraser
  • Whiteboard pen x 1

These are all available in our school stationery shop or any large supermarket.

Ruler

This must be 30cm long.

Art

  • Mercia School Art book x 1 (must be purchased from the school)
  • 2B pencil x 1
  • 4B pencil x 1

Geometry kit for mathematics and geography

Most standard sets contain:

  • A protractor
  • An eraser
  • A sharpener

These need not be expensive and are available in the school stationery shop.

Calculator

Casio FX83GTX SCIENTIFIC.

Reading book

This must be brought to school every day. The school library should be used where necessary to obtain a book.

Notebook

A place to make additional notes in Mastery Time and enrichment.