School uniform rule - girls not allowed trousers

[Fisharefriendsnotfood]

I'm wondering if I can call on the collective wisdom of you good people to help me construct my argument in the best way.

Dd (5) and yr 1 attends a local R.C primary school that I am more than happy with. She suffers from recurrent thrush and this year I noticed that when she wore tights under her pinafore it seemed to exasperate the problem. I checked the school prospectus for details because I have never seen a girl in trousers at the school and it states that girls must wear a pinafore or skirt as school uniform..

I then emailed the head and explained the issue and asked for clarification on the rules and she said that the last time the issue came before the chair of governors they decided not to introduce trousers as part of the girls uniform. She was very sympathetic and pleasant and said that if I got a doctors letter perhaps she.could allow it.

Now, there is no way dd would wear trousers if no one else was and I also feel that this would high light the issue / invite questions into something that is no one else's business.

So if you are still with me, I want to get the issue raised again with the chair of governors because I cannot think of any valid reason in this day and age why girls should not wear trousers if the want to. I have to speak at a parent voice meeting and if I can muster enough support the issue will be on the agenda of the next governors meeting where I can present my argument.

Where to start? Can anyone offer pointers?

Sorry for the essay

[birdybear]

i would think that she would get thrush in trousers? my mother never wears trousers cos she gets cystitis!

why can't she just wear the skirt or pinafore with socks and no tights?

[Fisharefriendsnotfood]

She wears socks but in the cold I would prefer her to wear trousers. And I don't see why she shouldn't be allowed. Cotten trousers would not cause thrush.

[DontCallMeDaughter]

I had to stop wearing tights due to recurrent thrush when I was a teenager... So I have sympathy for your dd. It also seems archaic to prevent girls wearing trousers, I'd revisit that with the head.

And you mean exacerbate, not exasperate. Sorry.

[BettyBotter]

I think the thrush is a side issue. (Not for your dd, obviously).

The main point is wtf is a school thinking in this current day and age not allowing girls to wear trousers anyway? Blatant discrimination.

Apart from the fact that for running, playing, sitting on the floor and active dcs trousers are warmer and more suitable than skirts or dresses, there are cultures where girls would want to cover their legs.

Some schools round here have banned skirts.

[Fisharefriendsnotfood]

It's not up to the head, I have to get the boards of governors to change the rule. I am asking for help as to how to achieve that. Thanks for pointing out my error, my poor brain is fried

[curlew]

Personally I wouldn't mention the thrush. I would just point out that it is discriminatory not to allow girls to wear trousers, and ask that a change in the uniform is made ASAP before you complain to OFSTED and the Secretary of State.

[IHatePopUpTents]

Maybe until you get it sorted you can maybe bend the rules and send her in leggings? honestly not sure if that's any better than tights.. But maybe?

Might be able to get away with it, if the teacher knows then you dd can explain away with 'all my tights are in the wash' or whatever?

[NigellasDealer]

i cannot believe that schools are still digging in their heels over an argument i thought we had in the 1970s!!
your daughter's medical issues are not really the point, poor girl though.
what curlew said essentially.

[Fisharefriendsnotfood]

The thrush is being looked into but I mentioned it as it's what brought the no trouser rule to my attention. I don't want to even mention it in my dealings with the parent voice committee and then the board of governors.

Can anyone help me present my argument as to why it is an archaic and out dated rule..

[Bunbaker]

"It's not up to the head, I have to get the boards of governors to change the rule"

How odd. I am a governor at a large secondary school. The governors have no say in the school uniform. It is the head teacher who decided it. Although, I suppose the governors agreed to it (but that was before my time).

I agree that it is odd to not let girls wear trousers.

[scarlettsmummy2]

Lots of schools don't allow girls to wear trousers. Completely normal in private and grammar schools. I don't think that it is necessarily because the schools are being 'sexist', but more that they want to appear traditional.

[NigellasDealer]

google this OP -
"is it legal for schools to ban girls wearing trousers"
and a heap of interesting stuff involving legal action and the EOC comes up.

[NigellasDealer]

mind you what parent wants to be 'the one that rocks the boat'....?
tricky one

[Fisharefriendsnotfood]

I don't mind actually. I'm not trying to stop anyone wearing skirts I just want them to have a choice. Traditional school or not this seems really wrong to me.

[EduCated]

Of course it is sexist. They are refusing to allow girls to wear a perfectly normal and practical item of clothing purely because they are female. How is that anything but sexist?

It's just traditional sexism

[BettyBotter]

Link here

//www.equalityhumanrights.com/advice-and-guidance/before-the-equality-act/guidance-for-students-pre-october-2010/being-treated-with-respect/school-uniform

And to quote
But it is currently up to individual schools to decide whether or not girls are allowed to wear trousers – or boys are allowed to wear earrings – in that school.The basic principle should be that, because trousers are conventional dress for girls, there is a strong argument that it would be unlawful sex discrimination to deny a girl the opportunity to wear smart trousers as an alternative to skirts as part of a uniform code. But so far, courts have not had to make a judgment on whether different school uniform regulations for boys and girls would be discriminatory under the Sex Discrimination Act.

[Fisharefriendsnotfood]

That post was in response to Nigellas issue with being the one to rock the boat by the way

[FunkyBoldRibena]

Why can't she just wear the skirt or pinafore with socks and no tights?

Because it can get fucking cold out there?

[NigellasDealer]

also why should she have to when -
a) girls routinely wear trousers out of school
b) women teachers wear trousers to work
c) she would be more comfortable wearing trousers
d) she could play more freely in trousers

[NiceTabard]

Was going to come on to say that the last time this came up I was really surprised to see the info that BettyBotter has just posted. I had assumed that in this day and age all schools would have to have a non sexist uniform policy.

OP I am sorry your DD has this recurrent problem - what does the doc say? Have you posted on the medical bit of here about it? Poor little mite.

The answer of course is that yes tights will exacerbate the problem and it would not be right for her to have to wear socks in all weathers. Also see that she won't want to be the only girl in the whole school in trousers - although TBH even if the rule is changed it probably won't filter through for a while due to expense / change happening slowly. So she might still be the only one for a while IYSWIM.

I am afraid I don't have experience approaching governers so no practical help but wanted to express my support

[NiceTabard]

Oh also on that CnP it says "up to individual schools to decide whether or not girls are allowed to wear trousers – or boys are allowed to wear earrings – in that school".

They have created a massive false equivalence there haven't they. Earrings serve no practical purpose, unlike trousers. And many primary schools ban earrings for boys and girls alike. Trying to pretend there are areas where boys are stopped from doing something that they want to do and that would be sensible and practical, just because they're boys. Because there actually isn't one, is there.

What a load of old balls.

[Fisharefriendsnotfood]

Dear board of governors, it's a load of old balls

[Nocomet]

If our school hadn't allowed trousers. I'd have sent them the bill for tights (thick tights are ££). My DDs trashed so many falling over and pulling them up roughly I put them in trousers.

They are also a total bugger for PE.

And yes it's sexist and totally unreasonable. I bet if you sent her in trousers lots of other mothers would follow suit within the month.

DD broke her arm and had a cast over her elbow so I stuffed her in a button through blouse as she couldn't get in her polo shirt. Quickly discovered blouses stayed white and DD much preferred them. Ever after lots of the girls wear blouses