Staff Dress Code Policy Academic Year 2017 2018
Introduction This policy sets out the expectations of The British School of Barcelona for the dress and appearance of all BSB staff wherever or whenever a staff member is deemed to be a representative of the school. The school considers that staff dress and appearance is significant in portraying an appropriately professional image to students, parents, visitors, colleagues, and external suppliers. The objectives of the Dress Code are to provide guidelines to ensure that: - Staff convey a professional image internally and externally - Staff understand the procedure to follow in case of dispute - BSB complies with Health and Safety regulations for staff and students. Please note, this policy is intended to set out generally acceptable and unacceptable standards of dress and appearance for staff. However, the dress code is not exhaustive and staff are urged to exercise common sense in adhering to the principles underpinning the policy outlined below. 1.0 Scope The Policy applies to all staff groups, both Administrative and Academic, including those staff who are seconded, supply agency staff, peripatetic music teachers, contractors, after school activity staff, volunteers and students when working on all BSB campuses as representatives of the school. The school recognises the diversity of cultures, religions and disabilities of its staff and will take a sensitive approach when this affects dress requirements. However, in all these circumstances the school is required to consider health, safety and security and will conduct appropriate risk assessments if and when required in order to arrive at a balanced approach. 2.0 Security The visibility of school identity badges for the purposes of security and wellbeing of all those on the school site is considered to be an important component of the staff dress code. Please be aware that all staff are supplied with a school identity security badge that should be worn and be visible at all times when in school. The badge should only be removed for safety reasons. 2.1 Badges Staff are required to have their badge with them at all times whilst on the school premise. If a staff member leaves their badge at home, they must report into Front Desk to sign in manually, and obtain a spare badge. It is the responsibility of the member of staff to inform their manager and Nuria Mestre (Castelldefels Campus) or Front Desk (Sitges Campus), if their I.D. badge is lost/stolen or if details on the badge need altering e.g. for a name change.
Staff are requested to ensure that they enter and exit the school through the staff door, using the ID badge to check in and out. For H&S reasons in case of fire or emergency, it is imperative the school knows which members of staff are inside and outside of the premises. 3.0 Responsibilities Employees Employees are individually responsible for their general presentation, appearance and personal hygiene and have a responsibility to consider how their appearance may be perceived by others. This means that all staff should wear clothing which: - Is appropriate to the role - Is not likely to be viewed as offensive or revealing - Does not distract, cause embarrassment or give rise to misunderstanding - Is absent of any political or otherwise contentious slogans - Is not considered to be of a discriminatory nature - Does not put them or others at risk. Employees are responsible for following the standards of dress and appearance laid down in this Policy. Managers Managers are responsible for ensuring the Dress Code is adhered to at all times in respect of the staff they manage. Managers must also ensure that all new members of staff are aware of the required standards of this Policy during the induction process. Failure to adhere to the school s standards of dress and appearance may constitute misconduct and result in formal disciplinary proceedings (see section 6.0). 4.0 Guidelines Staff are expected to adhere to the following guidelines (please refer to the Staff with Specialist Clothing (5.0) for exceptions): - Staff must be clean and well-groomed. - Men are expected to wear collared shirts, whether long or short sleeved, at all times, except for P.E. lessons. Men may wear suits, sports jackets or jumpers with their collared shirts. - Women are expected to wear dress shirts/tops, blouses, jumpers or turtlenecks. - During the warm summer months, short or long-sleeved polo shirts are acceptable, as are formal shorts that are neither cargo pants nor shorter than above the knee, i.e. bermudas and capri trousers. - Ties are encouraged. - Hems on dresses, skirts and formal shorts can be up to 10cm above the knee. - Leggings are not considered trousers, but they are acceptable if worn with a long top.
- Shoes should be smart and appropriate. Permitted footwear in the classroom includes boots, dress shoes, ballet flats, sling backs, mules, Birkenstock style, platforms, loafers, pumps, plain black plimsolls and dressy sandals. - Sportswear is only permitted for P.E. lessons and relevant society lessons. For PE staff, a school-issued staff PE kit should be worn during the teaching of PE or during a PE event. Non-PE staff engaged in sporting activities/societies should wear appropriate PE clothes which reflect the requirements of the PE staff s school kit. - Tattoos must be covered where possible. - Simple ear piercings and jewellery is acceptable. In contrast, the following are considered unprofessional: - Clothing with holes or tears. - Visible cleavage or clothing designed to make underwear visible - Crocs, jelly shoes, flip-flops, slippers, stilettos, or trainers (except for PE or EY, see Specialist Clothing section below). - Thin straps, crop tops and low-cut tops designed to make cleavage visible. - Blue jean trousers. - Clothes that are too tight or transparent. - Bare midriffs. - Combat/camouflage clothing - Combat boots - Extreme clothes or accessories, jewellery, metal chains, piercings, extreme hair colours (i.e. pink, purple, green, blue, or striped) that don t set a good example to the children. - Facial piercings, tongue piercings, excessive earrings. - Hats, bandanas Hats may be worn on outside duty for sun coverage. - Sunglasses must not be worn in class unless for justified medical reasons. - Clothes which restrict movement and which can easily snag on equipment In accordance with current practice, the dress code may be relaxed on training days or nonschool days when students are not present. In cases where there is a dispute on whether dress is appropriate, the Headteacher in collaboration with HR will have the decision-making authority. 4.1 Footwear Footwear must be safe, sensible, in good order, smart and clean and have regard for health and safety considerations. Employees need to be aware that in an emergency situation, they may be required to move swiftly. Therefore, by wearing open-toed or open-backed types of footwear, or high heels, they may put themselves at risk of injury. The British School of Barcelona will not be responsible for injuries caused by the wearing of inappropriate shoes.
5.0 Staff with specialist clothing The school acknowledges that appropriate clothing can vary by year group. Early Years Staff BSB acknowledges that EY staff are often required to work outside and accompany children in wet or messy play. Staff are encouraged to wear comfortable clothing appropriate to the season; i.e. cotton trousers or shorts and comfortable tops or polo shirts during the winter, and shorts or skirts no more than 10cm above the knee during the warmer months. Footwear can be comfortable smart shoes or smart dark trainers with no obvious branding, and can include sandals during the warm months. Clothing and in some cases appropriate footwear is supplied for staff who require them: Ancillary staff o Uniforms and footwear are provided for maintenance, cleaning and catering staff. Lab coats are provided for science staff. Bus monitors o Safety vests are provided. o Bus monitors may wear comfortable clothing. o Bus monitors should avoid wearing sandals on buses for Health & Safety reasons. 5.1 School Trips, activities and events Accompanying students on activities, day trips or overnight trips is an important part of a teacher s role. Travelling to and from trips and events requires sensible and secure footwear, which may not include flip flops whilst on the bus. This is for Health & Safety reasons. Dress will be appropriately tailored to each trip, for example: During colònies, or summer overnight trips, staff are free to choose their own clothing but are asked to use their discretion as representatives of the school. During beach trips, staff may wear beach appropriate clothing but when in school should ensure they are wearing school appropriate clothing. Staff are once again asked to use their discretion. During other trips, clothes must reflect the formality of the visit. During sporting events or activities, staff can wear sports leisure clothing such as shorts, t-shirts and trainers. During swimming lessons for Primary students, staff can wear shorts, t-shirts and plastic shoes (flip flops, shower shoes) while they are in the swimming pool area.
5.2 Summer School Staff dress code during the summer school is more relaxed and geared toward outside play. Staff are allowed to wear more casual clothing, such as jeans, vest tops, t-shirts, and shorts. 6.0 Disciplinary Consequences When an employee disregards the BSB dress code, their line manager should approach them. Supervisors may ask employees to return home to change if their dress is deemed to be sufficiently inappropriate. Disciplinary procedures will follow the BSB disciplinary process of verbal warning, formal written warning and final formal written warning. Please refer to the Staff Handbook for clear guidelines. Employees may face more severe consequences up to and including termination, if: - Their appearance causes irreparable damage; for example, if it leads to repeated complaints on the part of parents. - They repeatedly violate the BSB dress code. 6.1 Exceptions If an employee would like to formally request that the school consider allowing them to wear a particular item of clothing or footwear for religious, cultural or medical reasons, they can complete the form in Annex 1 and submit it to the HR Manager. Employees must be aware that medical reasons may require doctor s notes. Policy Date: June 2017 Review Date: September 2017
Annex 1. Request for Exception to the Dress Code (Please print this form and hand it in to the HR Manager) Name: Date: Specific Request: Reasons for Request: