THE opening of Wolverley C of E Secondary School was an opportunity to introduce a new uniform - and a new approach to how the uniform is worn.

The new uniform is very similar to the old one. The colour, design and logo were decided upon after extensive consultation with parents, students and staff and the reaction of those who have seen the new uniform has been very positive.

Mrs Eagles, the deputy head overseeing the change, approached a number of manufacturers to compare prices and quality, to ensure that parents and carers were offered the best quality at the lowest cost.

"All year seven, eight and nine pupils will wear the new uniform," she explained, "but students in years 10 and 11 will be allowed to carry on wearing the old one if they wish. In two years time, every student will be wearing exactly the same uniform."

Every student must conform to the new uniform strategy introduced during the summer term.

Asked if she thought a new approach to how the students wear their uniform was necessary, Mrs Eagles replied: "For too long we had been rather lax about the students' appearance until it got to the point where some were inappropriately dressed. I believe that a casual approach to appearance can lead to a casual approach to learning."

This belief is backed up by many national surveys which found that the schools with the best results were the ones with a strict uniform policy.

With this is mind, the new uniform strategy came into place after the 2007 year 11s left for study leave in May. Students and their parents were given plenty of notice and information about what was expected.

"It is little more than is set out in the current uniform rules," stated Mrs Eagles. "We are just being firmer about students adhering to the rules and punishing those who fail to do so. We have the full support of the parents, many of whom remarked that they were pleased that the clothes on which they spent good money were being worn properly."

The great majority of the students were also found to be in favour. Pupils may moan about the uniform to their friends but, asked privately, most of them admit that wearing a uniform has many advantages.

Mrs Eagles said: "There are no worries about keeping up with the latest expensive designer wear; no what will I wear today' concerns and, of course, uniform is a great social leveller - students all wear the same type of clothing which certainly cuts down on a potential area of bullying."

The rules concerning mobile phones, i-Pods and MP3 players are also being strictly enforced. Students seen using any of these in the school buildings will have them confiscated and will only be able to retrieve them at the end of the school day.

If an item is confiscated twice within a week then a member of staff rings the student's parents who have to come in to collect the confiscated item.

At the same time, the issue of students arriving late for school is also being addressed, with latecomers being issued with lunchtime detentions where they have to make up the time they have lost.