Should skirt length matter in secondary schools?

This. Hard not to see them when they are walking up the steps of a railway station bridge in front of you.

I really wish more schools would consider shorts for girls. Or culottes. Or skorts. Problem solved.

My journey to work takes me past a couple of secondary schools, one of which is fee paying. Interestingly, the fee paying girls’ skirts are obviously not rolled over, they seem to be slightly above the knee, whereas at the other school there’s clearly a competition as to who can get away with the shortest skirt, so much so that underwear can often be seen when walking behind the girls.
There’s a time and a place for certain clothing - this weekend in my local village hundreds of people going to Parklife were very scantily clad in things like micro bikinis with crochet vests over the top and knee high boots leaving nothing to the imagination. Queueing up in Greggs for a sausage roll they looked so underdressed but I imagine in the actual venue they fitted in perfectly. Even my adult DD said she wanted to offer a couple of them a cardigan to cover up - and she’s definitely of the body positivity generation!

If they did try and get the kids to conform they'd be told to f off and mind their own business and not just by the kids but their parents.

I do understand the kids reluctance to comply, out of school many of the girls around here wear next to nothing. When I was younger I'd have been told to get dressed properly by my parents, these days anything goes. Want to sit in the park in knickers and bra snogging your boyfriend, fine, go for it.

This is such a good point and maybe shlkld
be explained as a reason to those wearing short skirts - may embarrass them into wearing slightly longer ones or skorts.

@Goldenbear Of course if they are going into the Armed forces or Emergency services, a uniform is expected to be worn!

Ridiculously disingenuous. There are significantly more careers than two that require uniforms and almost all office work will require a professional dress code and arse cheeks on show is always going to fall outside an office policy

I absolutely do as I need to work and they need an education. I'm wondering what the school skirt length of mid thigh as described in the OP has to do with their education though. Like I posted, other countries manage to deliver an education without a uniform, my family are testament to that absolutely working!

Are you suggesting that people can't have an opinion on the state of education in this country, no ideas, no thoughts, no challenges, just complete unquestioning loyalty to a system that definitely has room for improvement. That's not to say things don't work well but on a public forum where we are debating a topic, it is absolutely ok for someone to have their opinion. This doesn't mean you encourage your children not to have respect for the teachers, to follow the school rules as however pointless you may think they are, you will have the unfortunate consequences of detentions etc. However, it is perfectly ok on a discussion forum to question, is this how education in Britain should look in 2025? it is also a good place to inform those who evidently don't step foot in commercial or any other offices, that schools don't need to prepare children for working in offices with dress codes from the late 90s! Of course if they are going into the Armed forces or Emergency services, a uniform is expected to be worn!

This.
women who don’t work in a school don’t realise how awful it is to have 15 girls per class showing their knickers/bum cheeks.
it embarrassing for them and just horrible.

@justasking111 Our school was twinned with a French school for exchanges. The French girl we had to stay. The quality and finish of her school uniform was amazing. Tailored, beautiful fabrics. Put ours to shame.

Hardly any state schools in France have uniforms, if it did it was likely private and that’s why the uniform was expensive. The same goes for private schools in the UK.

You’re honestly fine with teenage girls having skirts so short they show their arse cheeks, and their entire arse at times when they walk up the stairs?

teachers don’t want to go to school and see arse cheeks. It’s gross. Arse cheeks shouldn’t be on chairs for other kids to use. Also gross. If kids insist on rolling their skirts up so their arses are on show then it absolutely is the business of the people forced to be near them.

it’s also the business of the parents but as your post shows, many of them just don’t care

I think it’s almost perverse - I would absolutely hate anyone to physically measure the length of my daughter’s skirt.
Girls have rolled their school skirts for ever - schools could simply do a trouser option but they don’t, lots of schools don’t allow trousers as an option.

And don’t get me started on the skorts they insist upon for PE..for any girl with hips or a bottom they are like knickers and for some reasons that’s ok but skirts over the knee are not?

You just know though that if they introduced uniforms which are tailored with beautiful fabrics in the UK it would cost ££££££££££ the shit ones are pricey enough

You don’t have to send them to any school if you are so vehemently against their rules.

Oh I was thinking of a different one but I have seen the different coloured blouses one.
I like their blouses 😂

I really don't think 'predators' are on my limited to preying on girls in short skirts.

In a city - yes.
In a average size town - no.
There you pretty much get a choice of School A or School B.
If you live in a village and rely on provided transport - also no choice.

Don't even get me started on the 'very thin leggings'. Some of them are so thin, they're transparent. They might as well be wearing nothing.

We have to look after our girls. At this age, they're all fired up with, 'I can wear what I like,' and 'no one can dictate what I wear' but they're not aware of how many predators are out there.

Our school was twinned with a French school for exchanges. The French girl we had to stay. The quality and finish of her school uniform was amazing. Tailored, beautiful fabrics. Put ours to shame.

I think the idea of school uniform or so the narrative went was that all children were equal on the premises, no designer gear to be seen. You concentrate on the education.

Personally I think that ship has sailed.

you really can’t help see it where I live. I’m on maternity leave so often sitting in a cafe or on a bench breast-feeding at lunch time / school finish time, when lots of groups of local students walk past. I’d basically need to wear a blindfold not to see the numerous underwear on display. It’s actually horrible,

I hate seeing it, would love to go and tell the girls they really shouldn’t feel the need to look “sexy” at their age, but know they’d just laugh/ignore me/think I’m an old fuddy duddy.

But it really does look awful and I’d be really upset if my daughter felt pressured to dress this way when older.

I really want to think it doesn't matter. It definitely should not be about not distracting boys etc. It does smack of misogyny. But then I would not sendbmy daughter to a school full of girls with their arse cheeks hanging out. I don't want that to be a thing or a fight. I don't want that to be the accepted standard. I don't want her to find it the norm. Her school has mid calf length kilts and I am happy about that!

I agree with getting rid of school uniform. We are quite old fashioned in this country with regards to this, what difference does it make. I have Danish family and there is no school uniform for school aged children in my extended family.

"agreeing" to rules when you have no power to object or negotiate is not real agreement.

Not where I live, unless you have just enrolled your child and they are 4 years old as the falling birth rate, well below average in this area, will result in choice at secondary in 7 years time!

Weighing in as a secondary teacher- I wish we could do away with skirts. Girls have been rolling them up since time immemorial and it doesnt seem to be going anywhere. Instead I have to spend a ridiculous amount of time policing short skirts.
There's an old wives tale that this is because 'it makes boys uncomfortable' but honestly, it's just enforcement of rules. In a school, we have to enforce all the rules because teenagers will soon realise if you're willing to be lax. I'd love to get rid of uniform and just enforce respectful behaviour, rather than spending my day worrying about sock frills etc.
Speaking as a mum, the amount of girls walking round with bum cheeks peeking out from school skirts astounds me.

Depending on catchment, some of these choices are barely fit for purpose