Uniform

We believe strongly in school uniform as it reflects our commitment to the equal worth of each individual. High standards of personal presentation reinforce our values of self respect and pride in our community.

All pupils in Years 7 to 11 are expected to wear correct academy uniform at all times, in strict adherence to our schools’s standard. In doing so, our students show that they are proud to be part of St. Margaret Ward Catholic Academy. In order to maintain a high standard of appearance no modification of uniform is acceptable. Sanctions will be taken should any pupil not wear their uniform correctly.

From Easter to July, we will adopt a summer uniform for girls, which will be optional:

In place of black tights, girls may choose to wear plain dark grey or black ankle socks.

Please label your child’s name inside their uniform and PE kit.

Approved Footwear

Please click this link to view the shoes approved by St Margaret Ward Catholic Academy

National Schoolwear Flyer and National Schoolwear & David Luke Flyer

Smart Uniform Shop who are located in Tunstall and see their Smart Uniform Flyer & Early Bird Discount

Supersport Schoolwear are also located in Tunstall.

Appearance – Hair, Jewellery, Make-up, Top coat

HAIR

Hair should be styled as in a professional business environment.
There is no difference in hair rules and expectations for boys and girls.
There is no discrimination on students’ hair styles with regards to disability, race, religion or belief.
Hair can be worn down, but MUST be neatly tied back and away from the face for Design Technology, Food / Catering, Science experiments and Physical Education (PE) lessons.
Only natural coloured hair dyes are allowed.
Only natural hair coloured braids / extensions are to be worn.
No fashion accessories are allowed in any student’s hair, this includes lines of tinsel or ‘shimmers.
No hair beads or other hair attachments are to be worn.
All head coverings including religious based head coverings and African heritage head wraps, hair bands, head scarves, clips etc. must be black.
No lines, patterns, images or text are allowed to be cut into hair or eyebrows.
Eyebrows must be natural and not embellished.

JEWELLERY

There is no difference in jewellery expectations for boys and girls.
Students are only allowed to wear the following jewellery: an analogue or digital watch and one metal small stud style earring in each ear that does not overhang the lower ear lobe.
No student is allowed to wear a ‘smart watch’ of any description.
All jewellery MUST be removed for Physical Education lessons for Health and Safety reasons. Watches may need to be removed for any practical lesson where it is deemed necessary to do this by teachers.
No other jewellery, including anklets, is allowed to be worn.
No rings, necklaces, wristbands.
No other piercings are allowed to be worn.

For those students who are from the Sikh faith tradition, the wearing of the Kara is permitted. It is not viewed by the school as an item of jewellery.

MAKE UP

The wearing of make-up, including nail polish, is not allowed.
Where noticed, make up will need to be removed each morning. By noticeable, we define this as being visible / noticed from a distance of 2 metres.
False nails or false eyelashes are not allowed to be worn.
Fake tanning and self-tanning products are not allowed to be worn.
Students must not have any additional embellishment or make-up on their eye-brows.
False / fake eyebrows are not allowed to be worn at school.

OUTDOOR COAT

All students are required to have a warm weatherproof outdoor coat, preferably with a hood.
The outdoor coat must always be over the blazer when worn, and be long enough to cover the school blazer.
No student should wear their outdoor coat underneath their school blazer.
No cropped, denim or leather type coats are allowed to be worn.
No sports tops are allowed to be worn by students at all, even on the way to and from school.
Hoodies and zipped hoodies are not allowed to be worn by students at all, even on the way to and from school. These will be confiscated on sight and returned at an appropriate time to parents.
All outdoor coats are not to be worn by students in between lessons.

Our stockists

We have three suppliers which are listed below

Supersport Schoolwear

High Street, Tunstall, ST6 5TT

Tel: 01782 367629

Email: sales@supersport.co.uk

National Schoolwear Centres

99/101 Stafford Street, Hanley, ST1 1LS

Boys uniform

Why do we have these expectations?

School uniforms contribute to a sense of belonging to a community. For students, it reduces peer pressure when it comes to clothing choices. From September 2025, the government have stipulated that secondary schools can only have three items of branded uniform and a school tie. We wish and expect everyone to have the same uniform.

black blazer with academy badge
tailored mid grey academy trousers—not black
skinny/narrow trousers are not permitted
plain white shirt with stiff collar and top button
plain grey V-necked pullover may be worn under the blazer
academy traditional tie
plain dark grey or black ankle socks
plain black school shoes (NOT boots, trainers or trainer type shoes). No sports branded shoes. For guidance and choice please consult the St Margaret Ward catalogue produced with Wynsors World of Shoes.

Boys’ PE Kit

Compulsory Items

1 branded item from the following:

Either

long sleeve black & red reversible PE top (with academy logo)

OR

short sleeve black & red indoor t-shirt (with academy logo)

1 branded item from the following:

Either

black shorts (with academy logo)

OR

black track pants (with academy logo)

PLUS

black socks with red turnover
trainers (not boots)
football boots with studs (not astro turf trainers)
shin guards
gum shield (dentist/boil & bite)
hair band if longer than jaw length

Optional items

base layer (with academy logo)

Girls’ uniform

Why do we have these expectations?

School uniforms contribute to a sense of belonging to a community. For students, it reduces peer pressure when it comes to clothing choices. From September 2025, the government have stipulated that secondary schools can only have three items of branded uniform and a school tie. We wish and expect everyone to have the same uniform.

black blazer with academy badge
regulation KNEE length grey box pleat skirt – the skirt MUST be worn to the knee at all times
black tights, with a minimum of 80 denier
tailored mid grey academy trousers — not black
skinny/narrow trousers are not permitted
If wearing trousers, plain dark grey or black ankle socks
plain white shirt with stiff collar and top button
plain grey V-necked pullover may be worn under the blazer
academy traditional tie
plain black flat school shoes (NOT boots, trainers or trainer type shoes). No sports branded shoes. For guidance and choice please consult the St Margaret Ward catalogue produced with Wynsors World of Shoes.

From Easter to July, we will adopt a summer uniform for girls, which will be optional:

In place of black tights, girls may choose to wear plain dark grey or black ankle socks.

Girls’ PE Kit

Compulsary Items

1 branded Item from the list below:

Either

black & red short sleeve red polo shirt (with academy logo)

OR

black & red long sleeve outdoor top (with academy logo)

1 branded item from the list below:

black skort (with academy logo)
black shorts (with academy logo)
black academy leggings

PLUS

black socks with red turnover
trainers (not boots)
shin guards
gum shield (dentist / boil & bite)
hair band if longer than jaw length

Optional items

girls track pant (with academy logo)
base layer (with academy logo)
football boots are essential if representing the academy football team
SMW hooded top – Please note that this will be phased out by September 2026

Pre-loved Uniform

Items are available to purchase the Health and Wellbeing Office.