AIBU to think that when school uniform states knee length skirts, they should enforce it?

[Iheardthatpardon]

Dropped off younger DD at new secondary school this morning and was struck by the no of girls in short, bum skimming skirts! According to the uniform list, skirts should be knee length so unless these poor girls have some kind of physical mutation which places their knees up near their bums, I would expect them to be sent home to change. Why do parents let them out of the house with these belts?

My older DD has tried all the tricks - wearing skirts that are too small, hoicking it up etc but is given short shrift and also has been warned that should I EVER see her with her skirt hoicked up, she will be wearing trousers from then on. No exceptions. Surprisingly she doesn't want to wear trousers in school, only skirts but won't wear skirts out of school?? I give up!

I have no quibble with short skirts out of school, if that is what they want to wear, but feel that if there is a uniform, it should be just that - uniform! Not wear what you fancy! Or AIBU?

yanbu, I work in a school, we are on this all the time, it's like painting the forth bridge!! Our school is quite strict and the girls do get sent home for this!

Why is uniform at all important? Teachers probably feel that they will spend too much time enforcing this if they bother and they want to concentrate on teaching.

If you have a problem with the short skirts, not the school, then I reserve judgement of your unreasonableness.

Its not really the parents though, I rolled mine twice and put on a full face of make-up before I'd hit the busstop.

As far as I'm aware, uniform policy is a request, but not enforceable by law iyswim. So, I am a teacher, in primary and although lots of girls are teetering around in heels that I think are not suitable, and some are not wearing correct colour of jumper etc, I can't actually do anything about it. In fact I could get into trouble if I bring it to ther attention!

Their not ther.
Some teacher!!

I too have a problem with this after seeing a tangoed orange double butt cheek and a pink thong on a 14 year old.

I know girls have been rolling them up since I was at school but we used to roll them above our knees, not above our pubes!

Complain in writing. They'll probably give you some crap about it being hard to enforce due to some parents not being able to afford it....but then write back and insist that you hear about their grant giving policy wrt uniform.

Uniform being introduced has been shown to reduce violence and bullying. That's what they're for. However, as a teacher, I wouldn't want to enforce this.

Sorry that made me sound like a teacher, I meant if a were a teacher.

Oh and wrt you last statement, they are wearing the uniform, just how they like it. When a uniform says black shoes, they wear the black shoes of their choice. I am probably missing the point but why does it matter inside school but you don't mind what they wear away from school

I hate skirts as school uniform. What's wrong with culottes or city shorts with tights?

If they introduce shorts namechange then there'll be some in hotpants with orange legs.

You saw them when they were dropped off, or 5 mins after My skirt length was very variable indeed.

Oh yeah, that's true, NC.

My gripe is that the uniform list states knee length skirt
If they are not going to enforce it then it should state skirt.

If the length is important, then they and parents need enforce it - ie both sing from the same hymnsheet!

I (& other parents) need to know whether I can relax and let DD wear whatever constitutes a 'skirt' or lay down the law and carry out inspections!

(DDs go to different schools by the way! DD1 school very strict on paper but seems bit more relaxed in actuality - won't do anything about skirt length if rest of uniform ok or if skirt really is indecent! Though as I said, I did warn DD1 about it and she doesn't know if I may be passing her route or actually be in her school for some random reason! )

I think they need to be strict on uniform, but only up to a point.

Some wise person I listened to talk about education once (can't remember who or where) said that uniform was all about psychology. She said something along the lines of this. Teenagers like to feel like they are getting one over on adults because it's in their nature to want to be independant and make their own choices without being told. Apparantly it's as much a part of development as toddlers who will insist on putting their own shoes on even though it takes them ages. If teenagers are allowed to feel like they are having their own way over something as relatively unimportant as uniform, then they are less likely to look elsewhere for things to rebel against.

It makes sense to me. I also think that the length of a skirt is not worth destroying an otherwise good rapport between a teacher and a student.

If I were a secondary teacher, I can't say I'd fancy a never ending battle over uniform for no actual benefit.

This has been going on forever, how on earth do you police it?
My skirt used to look like a tennis skirt by the time I got off the school bus.

LaurieFairyCake:

Were they actual IN school at the time? If they're not on school premises, how can the school do anything about it?? I suspect they've just rolled them up, and would get told to roll them down once inside!

YANBU - if it says knee length skirt, then they should enforce it. Otherwise, just put 'skirt' and give them the individual freedom of choice. If not, you get what happens in our house where I make DD wear white ankle socks because that's what the school rules specifically say, and then all the 'cool' kids rock up in black over the knee numbers, laugh at the 'swotty' kids (ie the ones with parents that adhere to the school rules) and no-one on the staff says a word, which makes her wonder if following any rules is worth the trouble.

personally I think that summer shorts/winter trousers would be sensible for both boys and girls. Don't know why schools insist on skirts for girls and boys are not allowed to wear shorts in summer (when we have one)

My point is if schools insist on a particular item in a particular style on their list then they should enforce this - send them home/loan them a skirt/contact parents, ultimately sanctions.

But if they aren't bothered and aren't going to enforce it, don't make out that it is important and just state skirt on list. As they do with shoes or coats - ie black shoes/coats. Then I, as a parent, won't be bothered either. (well I would insist my DDs wear something that didn't display their underwear to all and sundry)

I have no objection to anyone wearing anything they choose, in their own private, free time. If particular clothing is specified in a work type situation - either for health & safety or for a professional look, then I would conform.

wisecamel - I am with you on this!

You make a good point, Outraged. When I first started secondary school, the fashion was longer, below-knee skirts and those with calf-length and longer spent their breaktimes taking the hem up.

When I left school, the fashion was for shorter skirts and those with too-high skirts lost their breaktimes stitching on a false hem.

I see my form for 20 minutes in the morning. They arrive in various states of undress. They leave my room with perfect uniform. They then walk across school to period one. I can guarantee that half of them will have broken a uniform rule by the time they get there. Similarly, those made to wash off make-up in the morning will apply again at break.

They are teenagers. They challenge the boundaries. Good schools keep enforcing them. Before school and after school they will roll skirts up and stick studs in various parts of themselves. This doesn't mean that the school does not enforce uniform policy.

As an aside, my mum likes to tell the tale of how members of the public would ring up her school and complain about a girl catching the bus home not wearing her hat, and then the girls would get into trouble at school. Can you imagine the AIBUs that would generate nowadays?

In my DD's first school, the rules were never enforced and i saw the standards drop each year, across the board.

My DD was not an easy pupil or teen. We agreed a transfer and her new school did insist on the rules being followed.

My DD really benefited by the school making her adher to the bounderies.

The whole atmosphere inside the school was so much better, learning wise.