P.E. Kit Expectations

Dear Parents/Carers

I hope that you and your families are well. I am writing to you regarding our expectations for the academy PE kit.  PE and school sport plays a key part in students’ social, physical and emotional development. Our PE curriculum and the extracurricular offer within PE provides our students with fantastic opportunities to participate in a wide range of different practical activities. PE and school also provides our young people with a platform on which to experience being competitive through sports competitions and tournaments.  

As we continue to move the academy forward and improve the quality of experience for all students, we have tried to improve standards of academy uniform and also the student’s  PE kit. PE kit is a key part of our Academy uniform. We have listened to the views of some of our parents/carers’, who have expressed that it would have been better to have made any changes to the Academy PE kit at the end of last academic year.  Especially as many of our parents/carers have recently purchased new items of our Academy uniform for the start of the academic year, including the new academy skirt. We understand that asking parents/carers to buy additional items of school uniform such as new items of PE kit creates unwanted financial strain on families.

We also recognise that the current economic climate has brought increasing financial pressures on our families, with the rising cost of living, the predicted increased fuel prices, we are aware that there will be challenging times ahead for many of us and our families. 

We have met with several parents/carers who have raised concerns about the cost of the PE kit, when purchasing directly through our uniform supplier ‘Brigade’.  I would like to clarify that there is no obligation to purchase your son/daughter’s PE kit  from ‘Brigade’. Brigade are our recommended uniform suppliers but as long as your son/daughter wears the Longfield Academy PE top in their PE lessons, appropriate and alternative items of sports clothing as stipulated in the table below for their PE lessons are acceptable for the immediate future.

The expectation is that by the end of module 2 all of our students can wear the full and correct academy PE kit but we have listened to the concerns raised recently by parents/carers and we have decided to adjust academy PE kit policy temporarily so that parents/carers can purchase similar items of our academy from more ‘affordable’ suppliers.

If you do not yet have the correct academy PE kit yet and you would like to purchase a new PE kit – this is  available directly from https://www.brigade.uk.com . We have removed the Longfield Academy logo from the new PE kit so that it can also be sourced from other companies, as this makes it more cost effective for families. If your son/daughter has the Longfield Academy logo on their PE kit, that is completely acceptable too. We have made the decision  following on from the government’s guidelines on reducing the cost. 

The aim is for all students to wear a Longfield Academy Falcon Polo shirt for PE- in navy/sky with matching shorts. From now onwards, students who have not yet purchased the new academy PE kit, students are allowed to wear the following alternative options.

Please note that the alternative option must be appropriate for school sport, no cycling shorts, or lycra shorts are acceptable.

Ideally, we would like all of our students to wear the new Academy PE kit in PE lessons by the end of module 2,  so that we have high standards in PE lessons and so that the students have a sense of identity and belonging to our academy community. 

If your old Longfield Academy PE kits still fit then this should be worn and there is no need to purchase a new kit.

PE Department Kit Policy:

• All pupils are to bring in and change into Longfield Academy PE kit for all PE lessons.
• If your son/daughter does not have an item(s) of the new Longfield Academy  PE kit, they can wear the following alternative items, plain blue navy shorts, sports leggings (full length), navy blue tracksuit bottoms.
• If a student forgets items in their PE kits on 3 different occasions this will result in a sanction.
• If a student doesn’t remember to bring in their PE kit, this  will be recorded and the student will be asked to change into a spare clean PE kit.
• If a student forgets their kit three times, they will be given an after school detention.

All pupils in the Academy will be expected to comply with these rules and expectations at all times.

Please do not hesitate to contact me at the academy should you wish to discuss any of the above or should you require any further information.

Kind regards

Mr Luke Anderson
Vice Principal (Behaviour, Standards & Welfare)
Head of Anderson College