Dd 14, back to school and new rule females pupils are not to pull up tights in front of male teachers

[catnoir]

Dd 14 had her first assembly of the year this morning, and head mistress / principle has a list of new rules, one including female students are banned from pulling up/ adjusting their 60 denier tights in front of male teachers as she feels this is inappropriate and it must be done in private in bathrooms. Surely this is crazy?

It's the attitude that disrupts the whole clas/lesson - it's not OK.

Then it's the attitude that needs to be addressed, not the fact that she was talking about her period.

I think there is such a thing as tmi. I agree with you.

Nothing to do with the fact kids are being forced to wear clothing designed to fit everyone regardless of height weight body shape etc. Are girls forced to wear tights? I've never known a school uniform where they couldn't wear socks. Ideally they should all be able to wear trousers and I thought most school did this now.

Girls can wear trousers - they actually chose not too! What were we fighting for in the 80's?

Girls can wear trousers.

My daughter isn't allowed to wear trousers at her school.

wtf? seriously?

children aren't responsible for whether grown adults feel embarrassed.

jelly have you considered a legal challenge? our PM was recently on record saying that sexist dress codes were a no-no....

And girls perhaps prefer an extra layer particularly around their periods.

Not all suitable school trousers for girls very well.

Dd hasnt worn trousers since reception ive tried dozens of pairs over the years and have yet to find ones that fit comfortably.

Leggings would be better than tights under a skirt intact I've done just taht and fried to colour match to socks so no one will notice.

Tights are awful

jelly have you considered a legal challenge? our PM was recently on record saying that sexist dress codes were a no-no....

Is there a law? I'd be happy to make them aware of it.

Presumably there has been a small number of girls trying to embarrass male teachers by hitching their skirts up in front of them on the pretext of adjusting their tights. And given that male teachers will run a greater risk of unwarranted accusations than female teachers they've said something to the head. Head would be accused of sexualising the offenders by their parents if she spoke to them directly so has to ridiculously speak to all and make it a rule.
Perhaps if parents tried supporting the school instead of encouraging their children to break the rules then schools wouldn't have to come up with more and more absurd rules to try and enforce decent behaviour.

jellyfrizz is she at a state school? I would have hoped all state schools allowed trousers by now, As Green Tulips said, What were we fighting for in the 80s? But for me it was the 60s.

My daughter went to a school that allowed trousers for girls but the uniform trousers were so hideous the girls wouldn't wear them but they have changed since then. It was quite an effective way to say we are allowing trousers but making sure the girls wouldn't wear them.

Did you see the boys at a school in Exeter, well I think it was Exeter, who went to school in skirts during the hot weather this summer as they wanted to wear shorts but weren't allowed to. They felt it was unfair that they had to wear long trousers when girls could wear skirts. I think the school backed down and let them wear shorts but I can't swear to that. Their argument was that it was unfair to give the girls a choice but not the boys. I admired them for such an effective and peaceful protest.

jellyfrizz is she at a state school?

Yes. Do you know of any legislation I can quote?

No I don't know of any legislation. I will try to look at the Exeter case I mentioned as the boys did get the school to back down but I'm not sure if that was legal or just the power of publicity.

Is it worth approaching the Governors?

knickers over tights and problem solved

*Sir can I go to the lop
No we've just had break
Sir I need to change my tampon

In front of the whole mixed class during history lesson - Year 8
students*

I'm presuming by year 8 they all know about periods? If the girl isn't allowed to go to the loo then fair enough she explains why she needs to go

Sorry for derailing the thread. It really annoys me as not only are they freezing in winter (unless they want to wear the dreaded tights) but also forced to show their knickers if they want to do handstands or cartwheels or climb the playground equipment (primary). That should be reason enough.

I had been encouraging her to bring it up herself through the student council or speaking to the headteacher so that she could see how taking action works but she's a bit scared.

Right. Am off to write an email.

Just thought can't girls identify as boys and wear boys uniform? Not sure what the school could do.

God I wouldn't even notice I was doing it when I was at school! And what if I they have cheap tights like a lot of teenage girls do? They'll be in the bloody bathrooms every five minutes!

I can see it now - 'sir I need to go to the loo, sir, my tights are falling down sir and you know that I can't adjust them in front of you sir.'

There are two very different ideas going on here one is that the girls are being asked not to do this as it is not 'ladylike' or that the male teachers can't control themselves.
The other idea (which I think is closer to the truth) is that some girls are spending time elaborately spending ages adjusting themselves in a over the top manner simply to disrupt the class.

Too many people seem to think that all teenagers behave exactly like their teenagers. They don't. Watch any of the 'Educating Essex' etc programs to see what it can be like.

And as for the people who don't understand why people's tights are falling down. I can only assume that you have never actually warn tights!

I've had girls hoik their rights up in front of me, that's not just pulling up the knees but pulling up the top bit of the leg and readjusting the gussets with the skirt up. It happens frequently, they don't care who is watching, it makes me uncomfortable.

I agree with grannytomine. It's really no ok to be hoicking up tights in public and there's really no reason to.

Some girls - and their parents (mothers typically) - seem to perceive this as some kind of feminist issue when it isn't, it's just a decency issue and one that most girls and women manage in privacy.

Instead of thinking of ways to flout an imperfect system, why not work with it? Leggings (already suggested)?, better tights that actually fit? Trousers? There are 'fixes' available for those that actually want a solution and not an excuse to rant and draw attention to themselves.

My daughter did the Graduate Teacher Programme (think that's what it was called) so at 21 she was in school teaching classes including classes of 18 year olds. I went to a school production she was helping with and most of the 6th form boys were taller than her, most of them looked older than her and alot of the girls did as well. She is 5'3" and petite, often mistaken as a pupil. We aren't talking about 5 year olds adjusting their tights in front of 50 year old adults. Schools are a bit more complicated than that and both sides need to behave in an appropriate manner or it would be even more chaotic than it often is.

Perhaps they just need to set up the display screens in each classroom to allow privacy for hoikage? Or allow the girls in first and give a minutes hoiking time?

I'm amazed at how this just was never an issue at our mixed Comp in the 80s. What has changed?

*This actually happened - and it wasn't just the teacher who was embarrassed

Sir can I go to the lop
No we've just had break
Sir I need to change my tampon

In front of the whole mixed class during history lesson - Year 8
students *

Genuinely not seeing the problem here. Girl needs to change tampon, oh the horror

Genuinely not seeing the problem here. Girl needs to change tampon, oh the horrorconfused

Let's change it to annoy with an erecting - would that be ok?

Would it be ok for a femail member of staff to excuse herself in a meeting 'just changing my tampon - won't be a sec'

Unfortunately schools now have to teach children about social etiquette- because their parents 'don't see anything wrong'

BeALert

This is the reason for cameras being everywhere.

Just for those that really want to have a moan, we even have camera's pointed in to the redesigned toilets in order to prevent the bullying and harassment that was going on in there.