Boys with long hair at secondary school

Depends if you live in an area where gender stereotypes are rigidly enforced. Is the local playground filled with girls in head-to-toe pink and boys in camo gear with buzz cuts? If not, you’re probably fine.

my son has long hair, and mostly had positive comments about it. I think it helps that both his big brother and my male hair dresser (who is young, tattooed and v cool) have long hair and he really looks up to them. It seems to give him the confidence to shrug off any negative comments.
Slightly different in that it's an all boys school, but I would say only a small percentage have below collar length hair.

@Love51 it's such a shame people still have that attitude. A boy in my DS year has really long vibrant red hair and is generally considered cool. It seems we're lucky at my son's school!

My year 7 son has had a few negative comments. He's on the "ginger" spectrum, not bright auburn, redder than strawberry blond. "Titian" according to the hairdresser! Apparently ginger enough to attract comments from badly brought up ignoramuses. Please can everyone model to their kids not to pass comment on other people's appearance. We know we are tall / short / ginger / have long hair / have dimples / are slim etc without needing to be told.
My son has kept his long hair but did at one point ask about dying it.

DS hasn't had any issues with long hair. There's an older lad I recognise at parkrun with impressive waist length hair.
It's quite a good school for not trying to be too corporate anyway.

The only rule that should exist for long hair on boys is being tied up for safety reasons in line with the policy for girls.

Both of my sons have always had longish hair and have only ever had positive comments from other kids. They were occasionally hassled by teachers about it, but I think that probably depends on the school.

Don't think he'll be a target but will school allow it? Our ds wanted to grow his hair in Year 9 but the boys were told by the school that boys couldn't have hair past collar length and were ordered to get and get it cut. Girls meanwhile could have long, flowing hair. It was SO sexist old fashioned and senseless. I wanted to complain to the school but ds wouldn't let me. At 19. he has beautiful, blond waist length curls do he's more than made up for it!

Prob also depends on the school; I cant think of any boys in my kids’ school who have long hair. I dont think they have a specific policy about it(I would hope not), but now I think about it it does seem odd that I done see any boys there with long hair, even outside their friendship groups.

My DS is now 21 but he had shoulder length curls all the way through secondary school right up until he went into 6th form.

He didn’t get any grief at all - in fact his friends all said he had great hair and his nick name was curly.

I actually got emotional went he went for the chop - from shoulder length to a crop with a fade in one swoop

My DS had long hair all the way through primary.
He went for an induction day with his 1 to 1 at secondary and they said he'd have to cut it so he reluctantly did.
When he went in September there was at least 10 boys out of 150 with long hair so he was raging, but he hasnt grown it again yet. Hes still experimenting with lots of short styles. But he regrets cutting it.

@Whateveryouwant1 if you have time, you could do a stake out at the gates and check the hairstyles....

Loads of boys have long hair now, I'd be very surprised if he was the only one.

My 2 older boys have long hair. Ds1 has been affectionately called "Hagrid" because his hair is black and curly and he has a beard. Ds2 has never had any comments.

Tell them their policy is illegal (unless it's an all boys school or girls also have to have short hair too. )

There are loads of boys where I teach with long hair. I always think that they are more creative than the girls, as any length goes, along with all sorts of interesting haircuts. Nearly all the girls have long hair which is quite boring, really.

my nephew has long hair and plays in a band. He’s very cool in an alternative way and can definitely carry it off. As far as I’m aware he’s never been bullied for it.

There are boys with long hair at DS1's secondary - don't seem to get any more stick for it than all the other varied hairstyles.

But yes, they have to tie it back during the school day, just like the girls with long hair do.

It depends on the school, and whether other boys will also have long hair. DS was fine in central London. We moved to East Sussex and it was a different story (though also it was a really rough school. We moved him to another, which is brilliant, but has a v, strict short hair for boys policy. So no more long hair for now... )

Hair may need to be tied back, check school rules, boys and girls

My DS has had long hair since lockdown he currently y10 at secondary and wears it in a pony tail to school. In the first few months at secondary he was occasionally miss-sexed but would say 'I'm not a girl, I'm a boy with long hair' as he had done at primary. As far as I am aware he hasn't had any bullying and now at 15 and 6'3" with his man face he doesn't get mistaken for girl anymore.

My DS has long hair. He has been genuinely mistaken for a girl a number of times, but it doesn’t bother him. I dont think he has been picked on for his hair although he wouldnt necessarily tell me. But he has plenty of friends, one also has long hair.

The only issue for me is when people assume he’s transgender, but that doesn’t seem to bother him either.

Both of mine have shoulder-length hair by choice. As far as I know, no one has ever commented. I would guess that it’s something that a bully might pick on if they’ve already chosen a target, but not the reason for the target.