Dress Code

We require students to dress for the professional business workplace, to help you prepare for a successful working life.

You should wear clothes appropriate to a business environment. Our dress code can be downloaded from the bottom of this page, but is summarised below.

Day-to-day general dress

We expect everyone to dress in a way that shows professionalism. The key idea is to look smart, confident, and ready to learn. Suits remain the benchmark for business dress, and footwear should be smart and suitable for a formal setting. The following guidelines outline our expectations:

• Formal business suit with a tie
• Formal business dress or blazer
• Formal blouse or shirt
• Formal dress with sleeves that cover at least the upper quarter of the arm
• Formal trousers or an appropriate skirt
• Skirts must be knee‑length or longer; stretchy lycra skirts are not permitted
• Formal, polishable shoes

During the summer months, jackets may be removed throughout the academy day.

Hair cuts, jewellery and tattoos

Patterns or shapes cut into hair or eyebrows and brightly coloured hair (eg: mohicans or tram lines) are not allowed. Overly conspicuous jewellery, such as large earrings and necklaces) are not allowed.

Tattoos should not be visible. Visible body piercing is restricted to the ears and/or one small nose stud only. Bars, scaffolds and stretchers are not permitted. 

Inappropriate choice of dress

It is impossible to give an exhaustive list, however the following are all incompatible with the professional appearance required at Harris Clapham Sixth Form.

• Brightly coloured suits
• Sweatshirts
• Hoodies
• Chunky knitwear
• Leggings
• Tracksuits
• Denim (jeans/top etc)
• T-shirts
• Vests
• Tank tops
• Crop tops
• Strappy tops

Also incompatible with a professional appearance are trainers (including black leather trainers/kickers), canvas shoes, and informal boots and shoes such as vans/pumps.

As the Sixth Form is a learning environment, any garment that covers or significantly obscures the face is unacceptable.