New Uniform Day is one of the annual events to which we look forward as much as the pupils at Shalom Academy. Such a simple thing as a badged blue polo shirt can transform the attitude of pupils, parents and teachers. New pupils come in a variety of get-ups—some Sunday best, others a ragtag ensemble of uniforms from other schools and hand-me downs. Once a shirt is placed on their backs, the new sense of belonging is palpable.
This year we went one better than just polo shirts—for our top grade (grade 4) we introduced navy blue trousers for the boys and pleated skirts for the girls.
It usually takes 3 weeks to reach optimum capacity at Shalom; this year, by the end of week 2, we have reached 86 pupils. We may even run out of uniforms, which would be a strange kind of success. Our target is 110.
