Stowmarket High: Skirts banned at school 'to protect girls' modesty'

School uniforms should be affordable, comfortable, practical and flexible. They're going to be worn by children of both sexes, in all weathers, with a variety of body types, from various cultural backgrounds, who are growing rapidly, and who will be taking part in a variety of activities through the day. They need a range of options so all children can learn without worrying about their fucking clothes. Primary schools largely seem to get it, but so many secondaries have stupid, arbitrary policies without really considering what the kids need and want.

And as for "modesty"- just fuck off. If boys upskirting female pupils is an issue, then ban phones and have a cast iron sexual harassment policy. That behaviour is on the boys.

Sorry, I meant 'continuing to say it's a non-issue'.

Plus thrush etc.

Please can people who themselves are fine with trousers accept it when other women say that they aren't always, and that it's a good idea to have a choice? Continuing to do so is either calling other women liars, or just being goady for the heck of it TBH.

It's not a non-issue at all. Young girls wearing sanitary towels may want to wear a skirt - not trousers.

Perhaps blindfolds and a smartphone ban for the boys instead?

Well now girls are all nice and modest will boys and men be held accountable for their behaviour ?

Or will it be the hair , make up, nails, shoes now? I mean there's still alot of options to blame the girls for isnt there...

All those poor boys being led astray by girls daring to have girls bodies

Perhaps they should just go back to not being in school?

Such a non issue. Wish they’d done it whilst i was there but then again no one wore a skirt anyway?

Presumably the female teachers will also be dressing modestly and will be chucking their boden dresses and opaques .

Yes but tight trousers mean that boys and men can leer without complaint.

Are the trousers at this school very loose then? Because normal girls' school trousers are quite tight round the bottom and not particularly "modest"

The Headteacher had to be a man.

Why would the option of skirts make anyone unhappy?

Yuk. The word 'modesty' makes me think of the puritan couple in Blackadder.

"But we can not make all the people happy."
So let's just take girls' choices away, because they are the least important group.

And everyone did up their ties differently. Long, short, thin, fat. And skirts. There were all different lengths.

They're a means of providing a bit of individuality on a uniform, and allowing scope for those who want to rebel a bit to do so harmlessly. With skirts, sensible schools just do what DDs school did; it seemed they set the required length a bit longer than they really wanted to enforce - so the ones that felt obliged to 'roll' could do so without getting chilly arses.

I loved my ‘wraparound’ school tie. I can remember my pride when I learned how to do it myself. And everyone did up their ties differently. Long, short, thin, fat. And skirts. There were all different lengths.

Imagine if a non religious comprehensive school enforced that as school uniform and said don’t worry, it’s ok, we’re just protecting the girls from the horrible boys. Nothing to worry about move on. It’s for your own good women

I was just about to say that’s an argument used to justify Burqas but got beaten to it

Boys may well want to take "creepshots" of clothing that shows an errant curve, as well.

Perhaps we should just mandate that they go to school in burqas, or just take lessons from a screen at home, for their modesty's sake.

I agree that both are equally pointless, though!

Clip-on ties , rather than the wrap around version, reduce the risk of being choked/throttled.

I hope they inform all visitors of the shortcomings of their stairwell design.

Do we get a new thread every time a school announces its new uniform rules?

Clip on ties are even more pointless than the wrap around version.

He’s an idiot. Is it cost? Is it “modesty”? Is it because “gender neutral” clothing improves outcomes?

Nope it’s a vanity project, like all new school uniforms are, and to boot one which polices young women and restricts one of their choices. Pathetic.

Well, in this case the problem seems to be the HTs mistaken supposition that the stairs would be a problem, rather than a fault in the design.

Designers, architects and builders could learn to reject "glass-sided stairwells", perhaps, if they cause such problems? Learn from your mistakes?

In our school (1970s), a scattered school site, it meant having to go traipsing outdoors, in the wind and rain, to access lots of the classrooms. Girls campaigned for girls to be allowed to wear trousers, as practical clothing.

Whereas in summer, hot weather, skirts were more pleasant. And I would not have objected at all to any boys wanting to wear skirts in hot weather, for comfort.

HT said 'the new uniform was "more affordable and smarter".'

Well, that's fine, but there's no earthly reason why a skirt would be more expensive than trousers. The school skirts DD had were a simpler garment than trousers, and generally looked at least as smart.