The school placement letters have landed. Congratulations! Now begins the second wave of panic, which is quieter but involves more polo shirts.
If you are starting from scratch and have absolutely no idea what colour anything is meant to be, this is for you.
How the system works, quickly
Gibraltar government schools run on a three-stage model: Lower Primary covers children from Nursery/Reception up to Year 2 (roughly ages 4–7). Upper Primary covers Years 3–7 (roughly ages 8–11). Secondary School covers Years 8-13 (roughly ages 12-18).
Each one is a separate institution, with different headteachers, different uniforms, and different finish times.
Then it's time for our babies to flee the nest, and possibly head to university. Tuition fees, maintenance grant and travel allowance is provided for free by HMGoG (providing your child has been resident in Gibraltar for 10 years prior and achieves a minimum of 2 A-level or equivalent grades). It's not a free ride though; students have a contractual obligation to complete the course they obtained the award for, and anyone who fails to complete will need to reimburse all the money afforded to them, including tuition fees paid by the Department of Education.
The government Lower Primary schools
Your child will have been allocated one of these based on your catchment area:
| School | Headteacher | Phone number |
|---|---|---|
| St Paul's Lower Primary | Mr J Aguilera | 200 71696 |
| Governor's Meadow Lower Primary | Ms E Montegriffo | 200 75772 |
| Notre Dame Lower Primary | Mrs E Latin (Ag) | 200 75182 |
| St Bernard's Lower Primary | Mrs C Caruana | 200 78888 |
| St Joseph's Lower Primary | Mrs E Benzecry | 200 78515 |
| St Mary's Lower Primary | Mrs J Sanguinetti | 200 75946 |
| St Martin's School | Mrs P Cruz | 200 45360 |
There is also the Hebrew School, which operates slightly differently.
The education minister listed on the Government of Gibraltar education pages is Hon Prof John Cortes MP, Minister for the Environment, Sustainability, Climate Change and Education.
Uniform by school
This is the bit everyone actually wants. A quick note first: individual schools are the only reliable source for current uniform details, and things do change. Always check directly with your school before buying a full wardrobe.
That said, here is what we know:
St Paul's | Governor's Meadow | Notre Dame | St Bernard's | St Joseph's | St Mary's | St Martin's
St Paul's uniform
Colours:
Navy blue
Summer uniform
Navy blue polo shirt
Navy blue shorts or skirt
Optional: navy blue gingham dress.
Winter uniform
Navy blue polo shirt
Navy blue trousers or skirt with tights
Navy cardigan or jumper
Optional: navy blue jogging suit.
PE kit
White T-shirt
Black shorts
White trainers, or at least trainers with soles that will not mark the sports hall floor
Optional: navy blue jogging suit over the top.
Shoes & socks
Black school shoes or trainers
White trainers for PE
Ideally Velcro-fastened unless your little one can do them up themselves.
St Paul's uniform
Governor's Meadow uniform
Colours:
Sky blue and charcoal grey
Summer uniform
Sky blue polo shirt
Charcoal grey shorts or skirt
Optional: sky blue gingham summer dress.
Winter uniform
Sky blue polo shirt
Charcoal grey trousers or skirt with tights
Charcoal grey cardigan or jumper
Optional: charcoal grey jogging suit.
PE kit
White T-shirt
Black shorts
White trainers, or at least trainers with soles that will not mark the sports hall floor
Optional: charcoal grey jogging suit over the top.
Shoes & socks
Black school shoes or trainers
White trainers for PE
Ideally Velcro-fastened unless your little one can do them up themselves.
Governor's Meadow uniform
Notre Dame uniform
Colours:
White, grey, and royal blue
Summer uniform
White polo shirt
Grey shorts or skirt
Optional: royal blue gingham dress.
Winter uniform
White polo shirt
Grey trousers or skirt with tights
Royal blue cardigan or jumper
Optional: royal blue jogging suit.
PE kit
White T-shirt
Black shorts
White trainers, or at least trainers with soles that will not mark the sports hall floor
Optional: royal blue jogging suit over the top.
Shoes & socks
Black school shoes or trainers
White trainers for PE
Ideally Velcro-fastened unless your little one can do them up themselves.
Notre Dame uniform
St Bernard's uniform
Colours:
Green and navy
Summer uniform
Green polo shirt
Navy blue shorts or skirt
Optional: green gingham dress.
Winter uniform
Green polo shirt
Navy blue trousers or skirt with tights
Navy jumper
Optional: green jogging suit.
PE kit
White T-shirt
Black shorts
White trainers, or at least trainers with soles that will not mark the sports hall floor
Optional: green jogging suit over the top.
Shoes & socks
Black school shoes or trainers
White trainers for PE
Ideally Velcro-fastened unless your little one can do them up themselves.
St Bernard's also has uniform resale. For a small donation, you can buy second-hand uniform, or donate uniform your child has grown out of.
St Bernard's uniform
St Joseph's uniform
Colours:
Yellow and navy blue
Summer uniform
Yellow polo shirt
Navy blue shorts or skirt
Optional: yellow gingham dress.
Winter uniform
Yellow polo shirt
Navy blue trousers or skirt with tights
Navy blue cardigan or jumper
Optional: navy blue jogging suit.
PE kit
White T-shirt
Black shorts
White trainers, or at least trainers with soles that will not mark the sports hall floor
Optional: navy blue jogging suit over the top.
Shoes & socks
Black school shoes or trainers
White trainers for PE
Ideally Velcro-fastened unless your little one can do them up themselves.
St Joseph's uniform
St Mary's uniform
Colours:
White and green
Summer uniform
White polo shirt
Green shorts or skirt
Optional: green gingham dress.
Winter uniform
White polo shirt
Green trousers or skirt with tights
Green cardigan or jumper
Optional: green jogging suit.
PE kit
White T-shirt
Black shorts
White trainers, or at least trainers with soles that will not mark the sports hall floor
Optional: green jogging suit over the top.
Shoes & socks
Black school shoes or trainers
White trainers for PE
Ideally Velcro-fastened unless your little one can do them up themselves.
St Mary's uniform
St Martin's uniform
Colours:
Navy blue
Summer uniform
Navy blue polo shirt
Navy blue shorts or skirt
Optional: blue and white chequered dress.
Winter uniform
Navy blue polo shirt
Navy blue skirt, leggings, trousers, or tracksuit bottoms
Navy blue sweatshirt or jumper
PE kit
White T-shirt
Black shorts
Navy blue tracksuit
Trainers with Velcro fastening
Shoes & socks
Adequate footwear such as trainers or school shoes
No flip flops or sandals
Know your school's colours? Tell me and I'll update this.
Where to buy
Most government school uniform basics (plain polo shirts, grey trousers, grey skirts, cardigans) can be found in Marks and Spencer, Morrisons, or Cosmopolitan in Irish Town. Plain items without a logo are usually fine for most government schools, which keeps costs manageable.
But if you do want the embroidered logo, head to Cosmopolitan.
If you are looking to save money, check the local Facebook groups. Second-hand uniform gets passed around constantly, which is a great cost-cutting and environmentally friendly option. A five-year-old does not care whether their jumper is new. They care whether it has a pocket for a stone they found at break time.
Summer uniform vs winter uniform
Most Gibraltar schools switch between summer and winter uniform around October half term and again in spring. Summer usually means short sleeves and lighter fabric; winter adds jumpers, cardigans, and sometimes a school fleece or jacket.
In practice, the transition dates are flexible and follow the weather rather than the calendar. Gibraltar in September is still very warm, so your child will almost certainly start in summer uniform.
A few things worth knowing before September
Name everything. Every single item. This is not optional. It is a rule of nature, like gravity, except more inconvenient. I can recommend these cheap name stamps, which last through the wash and work on toys, lunchboxes, and all the other things your child will somehow abandon in public.
Buy one or two sizes up if your child is growing fast. School uniform gets a lot of wear and you want it to last.
Do not buy the full set before your first school communication arrives. Schools sometimes send out a welcome pack or hold a parents' evening before September that covers uniform specifics. Wait if you can.
One more thing
If your child is starting nursery this September, their hours will be 9:00am to 11:50am. You do not need the full uniform to be perfect on day one. They will almost certainly come home with paint on it anyway.
At this nursery and early lower-primary stage, schools are usually not that strict if everything is not absolutely perfect straight away. As long as your child is roughly in the school colours and, most importantly, comfortable, you are not turning up in breach of the Geneva Convention.