I am not a real fan of non-uniform days as a way of raising money. They change the tone of the school day, put pressure on some students over clothes and reinforce the idea that people should get something in return when they give. People from charities writing to the school to suggest we have a day out of uniform and write them a cheque to support the particular venture they have adopted are almost always unsuccessful. We never use them, or any other charitable event, to raise money for the school. The goodwill of families and students always benefits others in need.

Non-uniform days are popular though and the occasional one probably does little harm, which is outweighed by the good that can come from a different day in school.

A few days ago I was delighted to receive an email from Mrs Tidmarsh telling me that her son Rory has qualified for the European Championship Dog Agility Trials in Holland, with his dog Sonic. It is heartening to see a young person find something they love, and are prepared to give their free time to, achieving success. He is clearly proud of himself and has good cause to look forward to competing for his country.

This pride was offset a short while after when we heard that someone has stolen all the equipment he uses to practice and which he needs to prepare for his competition. I imagine he is the victim of cowardly thieves, who will do anything for cash but work for a living. 

We would like to show Rory that there are a lot more decent people in the world than dishonest ones and help him to compete in the Netherlands to the highest standard possible. To this end we are having a non-uniform day on the last day of term. Rory needs about £3,000 to replace what he has lost. All the proceeds will go towards this.

If students could come to school in non-uniform and make a donation (we suggest £2 each) it will go a long way to helping him. I am sure it will also show him that we all believe it is worth working hard to achieve impressive things; despite drawbacks.

Thank you for your support in this. I hope it does not cause any problems at home for you. If your daughter or son does start talking about needing to spend money for clothes on the day tell them that is not what this is about. A sweatshirt and jeans are fine. Any extra money should go towards making a difference for someone, not posing around in front of friends with more money than sense.

We all wish Rory luck and are sorry that less impressive people have stood in his way.