AIBU?
Bloody school skirts!
Frouby · 25/09/2018 20:07
Dd (14) came home from school today upset because she is in approximately half the school year group of girls who have been told their skirts are unacceptable.
The uniform policy states 'skirts must be straight, black, not jersey or stretch and not pencil. Must not be more than 10cms above knees'. On the school website, under the uniform policy there is a photograph of a girl wearing a slightly A line/skater skirt with pleats. This has a green tick presumably saying this skirt is acceptable.
A few girls asked why their skirts weren't acceptable. Answers included 'A line', 'skater style' and ' pleated' along with 'too short' or 'jersey or stretch material'.
Dd is in exactly the same skirts she wore last term. We bought 1 new skirt this holidays as she had 4 new ones in May. She had one of her older ones on today. She didn't ask why hers was unsuitable but I presume it's either the skater/A line shape or the pleats. It's almost identical to the one with a green tick on the website. It's not 10cm above her knee either.
Have asked the school by email for clarification. The school got taken over by an academy last year after a poor ofsted report. We were specifically told there would be no change to uniform policy, but that there may be more enforcement of the existing one. Which is fine.
But AIBU to expect that DDs skirt, that matches the one used by the school as an example of correct uniform by considered acceptable. I asked DD if she was wearing it shorter at the time and she says not ajd I do believe her, she is quite conservative and a rule follower so can't see her rolling the top of her skirt up.
Also if they do say it is not acceptable for whatever reason, where the fuck do I find straight, black, not pleated, not A line, not pencil not jersey material skirts to fit a size 4/6 waist that is not 10cm above her knee?
Have looked online at Next, Asda, Tu, Tesco and George so far. She needs to try them on first. She is tall and skinny so if I buy her size it will be too big around the waist. But aged 10-11 will be too short.
PinkFlamingo888 · 26/09/2018 09:50
I agree that the school is being ridiculous but I’m just wondering whether any of the girls that did get to go and sit down could tell your daughter where their skirts are from. If some are passing the test then these ideal skirts must exist. But I do agree that you shouldn’t have to and I personally would just keep sending your daughter in the same skirt.
Gileswithachainsaw · 26/09/2018 10:01
I agree that the school is being ridiculous but I’m just wondering whether any of the girls that did get to go and sit down could tell your daughter where their skirts are from
I'd put money on them being the same ones as the others but their body shape or height etc probably make them look different .plus there will be a select few regularly chosen to make the example of
Frouby · 26/09/2018 11:25
I asked DD what the acceptable skirts were, and she can't tell me because they all wear either tubey/stretchy skirts of varying length or skater style skirts like DD.
I haven't heard back from the school yet, but I only emailed last night.
Apparently the girls have until Tuesday to replace the skirts or they will be placed in isolation. Dd is a good student, never, ever been in any trouble, on target for 7s/8s in her GCSEs, works hard and is popular. Never had a bit of bother at school.
The school has historically always been ofsted rated Good, with good GCSE results and the recent A level results were the best in the borough apparently. They got a requires improvement ofsted report as a new head came in last year, a lot of the older staff retired with the old head and they seem to have been replaced with less experienced teachers, so the ofsted report was as a result of weak teaching and weak department management rather than behaviour of students or what length and style skirt they are wearing!
I would much rather the academy focus om improving the teaching.
AnotherPidgey · 26/09/2018 12:08
I wonder if I'd have got more As if my skirt hadn't been pleated, or indeed the same one from below my knees in y7 to halfway up my thighs by y11 
There is too much made of pedantic quibbling over uniforms. People aren't built identically. Give a class of girls the same skirt and it will fit in a variety of weird and not-so-wonderful ways. I hated clamp-downs on uniform, I just wanted to teach not get drawn into rows on things that are often beyond their control.
Teaching in a non uniform school was bliss.
steppemum · 26/09/2018 12:27
screen shot the picture on school website, and put a photo of dd in her skirt next to it.
send copy to head, give dd a copy to carry with her, and repeat ad infinitum - it is the same as the one on the website, we followed the rules, and we can't afford to replace new skirts
Frouby · 26/09/2018 19:55
Bit of an update. Spoke to pastoral team today. They had already spoken to dd on back of my email and checked her skirt and apparently it's fine. They did say it was a tad short, but she showed the female teacher the elastic adjuster was done to the top and explained we struggle with length because she is tall and skinny. It is actually 8cm above her knees, it just looks short because she has long, skinny legs.
They told me pleats were fine, as were A line or skater style and are not sure why they were told otherwise. I suggested an email or website letter would probably be in order. So alls well that ends well. For now anyway.
Miosa · 28/09/2018 20:55
I've found this one on Amazon from LACHERE and they have a school-friendly length and my daughter rolls them up and down depending on the circumstances ;) amzn.eu/d/gfIUdQs?tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21
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