Uniform Change

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Junior (Years 7 and 8) and middle school (Years 9 and 10) students currently choose to wear a white shirt and tie or a grey shirt to school, with a blue crested jersey, on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. They are required to wear a white shirt and tie on Monday and Wednesday, as we gather for chapel and assembly on those days.

We have always worn uniforms at JMC and value our uniform as a key marker of our identity and connection to the college. We believe that how a student wears their uniform reflects their sense of belonging and readiness to learn in the classroom. This connects to our discussions about strengthening rigour and academic standards. In taking a lens to how boys are wearing their uniforms, we observed that those who wear their uniforms poorly - shirts out and socks down - tend to be those in the greys. We notice a significant difference in the presentation of the junior and middle school students on Mondays and Wednesdays.

After discussion with our staff and the two boards, we have decided to remove grey shirts as a uniform option for Years 7-10 in 2027. This means that students will only wear white shirts and ties (with their blue jerseys). These changes have no impact on senior students. The wearing of a school blazer will continue from the start of Year 11 only. This preference was expressed by staff.

We appreciate there may be a divergence in views about this change, and we ask parents and whānau for their continued trust in our decisions being centered on what we believe is best for the students to realise their academic potential. We also appreciate the inconvenience this brings for Year 7 and Year 9 families new to the college this year, who will have purchased grey shirts.

As always, we encourage open dialogue between home and school. If you would like to share any feedback about this change to junior and middle school uniform in 2027, please submit it via this survey form.

Dr Aaron Columbus

Principal | Tumuaki