Merseyside pupils 'humiliated' by school skirt-length inspections

[SerendipityJane]

Probably too many questions to write in this space, but (a) would it have been acceptable if if was only female teachers that were doing the inspecting. and (b) what would the definition of female be in this case.

I guess my main question of when the fuck did it become 1923 is quite low in the list

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-64743377

Female pupils say they have been left "humiliated" over enforcement of a uniform policy at a Merseyside school.

Girls have been made to enter Rainford High School in St Helens separately to boys and have had their skirt length inspected by male teachers, they claim.

Did not read the article then? 🤔

They know the rules. Comply with them and they won't draw attention to themselves.

Pupils, wear the correct length skirts or take consequences. Better still, wear trousers! Parents, get a grip and stop raising snowflakes. I hate being subjected to seeing pupils’ underwear, so just make sure that your skirts cover you. I’m all for standing up for your rights and raising strong, independent children, but please, pupils and parents, save your voices for things that matter 🙄

My son attends school that allows girls in the 6th form. The amount of emails we receive regarding inappropriate school clothes is mad. It’s business wear in the 6th form. Crop tops, belt length skirts and low tops have never been business wear in my sector. Yet the boys comply and don’t wear vest tops or tracksuit bottoms to school. Why can’t the girls just comply.

It strikes me that in 2023, we are still treating girls as badly regards skirts/uniform in general as we did when I was at school in the nineties.

I'm thankful that DD and DS school allows trousers for the girls as we were never allowed them. We even staged a sit in, supported by a number of young female teachers, but it got us nowhere except detention.

Whilst girls skirts should be a decent length, at my school it was on the knee, the idea of male staff policing it, and blocking toilets off, and having a girls and boys line is just so old fashioned. I would not feel comfortable with my DD having her skirt inspected by a male teacher, no.

It feels like they're setting girls up to feel responsible for the actions of males. The whole "well if you didn't have a short skirt on/heels/too much make up/had too many drinks you wouldn't have been raped.
It shouldn't be about the skirt length. They should be instilling in male students that the length of a skirt is not consent.

I'm very pleased that boys supported the girls though. That was lovely to see.

The internalised misgyony on here is incredible

"correct" lengths indeed, hope you are not showing any ankles yourselves

My dd also wears a specific skirt at a set length - just above the knee - and rolls it up to mid thigh. She regularly gets told off. Her classmates also discussed amongst themselves having the boys go to school in skirts as well. Don’t think it will happen.

She saw this earlier, probably on TikTok, and I told her not to get involved in this way with the school. She takes whatever sanction the school deals as far as I’m concerned. I bought the skirt in the correct length so I’ve fulfilled my brief.

As for male staff checking the skirts, it doesn’t sound pervy. I understand the discomfort but if the girls were abiding by the rules, this would be moot. Realistically anyone will be getting a much more exposed view of a girl in a super short pleated skirt if walking behind her as she goes up the stairs or on a windy day. At dd’s former school, some of the skirts were micro minis. Bought on day one in year 7 and worn for 5 years straight.

Schools cant have it both ways. They can't make kids spend £££ on logod/uniform skirts then moan they are too short when people don't have the money to immediately replace. Dd1s skirt is 18.50 online wiry delivery or 27 pounds from all uniform shop.

Dd2s is 28/29 pounds .

Not easy to afford to replace over an inch of material

Plus what happens when u I dunno have a tall skinny child needs a small waist meaning the skirt is too short. There's not always a variety of lengths depending on whether it's a uniform skirt or high street one.

Yes some girls roll it right up but just tell them to unroll it. That's gotta be better than making girls going through puberty even more ashamed and embarrassed about the bodies. We should not he encouraging the policing of girls clothing so much. Seems they are responsible for anything and everything these days.

Ad for trousers. Good luck.dd has to wear grey ones we've been through multiple pairs and still no luck finding ones that don't make her look like she's wearing a nappy and allow her to bend her knees properly. Last thing we need is her skirt length to be an issue too its ridiculous

We had our skirts checked (just visually) at school as they had to touch your knee by male and female staff. Glad I wasn’t the only who was a bit confused by this.

I need more details, are the male teachers touching them? Are they putting them in a private room? Why can’t they just do a uniform check on everyone in form?

we had our uniform checked in the form as everyone was checked for length of tie etc

Depends if the school is strict on all aspects of uniform. At my ds school, trainers aren't allowed but there are plenty who wear them as the rule isn't enforced strictly. If they were tough on skirt length but didn't enforce other rules like trainers and tie length then I would be annoyed.
They shouldn't have male teachers doing the checks either. That's a quick path to rumours of being a pervert imo.

It's slowly getting better but I remember finding it hard to get uniform trousers that didn't bunch up weird because of the waist adjusters. My sons often flashed the waistband of their underwear accidentally. With teenage girls, there will be even more variation in waist and hip so getting trousers that fit well for all kinds of body shapes is even harder imo. If that problem is solved then I think take up of trousers would improve.

Instead of blaming the boys fir looking perhaps the teachers are just fed up seeing knickers in class. Sometimes you can’t help but look when it’s flashed at you. It’s called decency and applies to boys and girls. I don’t want to see boys pants on show and will tell them to pull their trousers up and use a belt.

I would want to know why male teachers where doing the inspect, that does not sit well with me at all. It comes across as the patriachy taking over plus it's a bit pervy

See straight away you assume the girls skirts were all the way up to knicker line.

I've actually seen the TikTok, DD showed me, and the skirts I saw where girls were given detention were just slightly above the knee. That's just bloody ridiculous.

Also, what if they have those skirts because Mum and Dad can't afford to replace yet? We live in times when there is a choice of heating or eating. Factoring in brand new uniform, or even second hand can be financially impossible to many. So by punishing the child they are punishing for poverty.

That doesn't sit right with me.

Luckily our school has something called "the closet". Parents can quietly get in touch to request clothing that other parents donate. No questions asked. But not many schools have that option.

As someone else said, the misogyny is disgraceful from a predominantly woman led forum.

As for male staff checking the skirts, it doesn’t sound pervy. I understand the discomfort but if the girls were abiding by the rules, this would be moot.

My daughter does abide by the rules, she wears the longest length they make in her school skirt. It’s still doesn’t reach her knee. She does not role it up. She is still stared at by 2 male members of staff every few weeks in the school hall and is understandably uncomfortable with this.

The girls school near me allows trousers I see. 1 or 2 a day using this option. 6 out of 10 perhaps rolling their skirt so high you can see their underwear. The rest roll but not that high ..the roll but not that high underwear is on show seems to be the policy at the 2 co Ed schools I live near.

We rolled our skirts up in the 60’s at my naice girls’ grammar. Have I won the prize?

If they genuinely do feel humiliated, there’s nothing wrong with declining and inviting a discussion about it. We need to teach kids that it’s not ‘what the teacher says goes’, the same way that wouldn’t be the case in a workplace.

Discussion, compromise, agreement that fits all. To be honest it sounds like the ‘teachers’ have a lot of growing up to do - stop playing ‘pretend schoolmaster’ and do their actual jobs.

Scrap school uniform and let the parents deal with it. Let teachers get on with teaching maths etc. Most European countries don’t have school uniform. No uniform = no uniform issues. If girls want to wear short skirts, so be it.

It is outdated, sexist policing of girls bodies and it is absolutely disgusting. I’d be proud of my child for protesting.

if the dress code specifies that only girls are allowed to wear skirts that is also sexist. The uniform should allow all pieces to be worn by all students.

I don't think you need a tape measure to judge a skirt being too short. I agree with a policy, think there could have been warning (say the previous school day), and should only have been female teachers judging.

There should also be the option of trousers for girls, hope the school has this.

I work across all sorts of schools and I never see uniform breeches in the private schools like I see in mainstream.

We do our children a disservice when we say sloppy appearance is okay.
We do our children a disservice when we don't prepare them to compete against the private school children.
We do our children a disservice when we try to negate mainstream teachers for trying to instil some standards and order.

Goodness me, MN is a horrible place. If schoolgirls break rules, they deserve to have their bodies examined by male men? How are any of you mothers?

Btw, even those who followed the rules had their bodies examined by male men.

I fear for all your daughters' safety if this is what you teach them.

Private schools have classes of what? 10? 15?

And parents rich enough to buy them the uniform. Chances are any kid with behaviour issues /anger issues/ disabilities/sensory issues /difficult backgrounds who would struggle with factors of the uniform or affording regular updated sizes of uniform won't be there. You cannot compare a small class of privileged students to a town state school that has multiple levels of th3se issues to deal with it. And the idea all those can be over come if they just wore expensive itchy impractical polyester clothing is bonkers

@Greenbeans123
Re male teachers probably not a good idea, female staff could have been used.

So male teachers get to have their lunch break/morning prep time but female teachers are drafted into skirt inspections? How are you/other posters proposing to compensate?