male teachers distracted by school skorts

[Deadringer]

i have read similar stuff on here but am gobsmacked that this has happened at my dd's school today. Dd goes to a fee paying girls only school, they have a strict uniform policy which i am happy with. On pe days, because of covid the girls have been told to wear their sports uniforms as changing rooms have been closed, so they are wearing their tracksuits, and the badmington and hockey teams have been wearing their skorts on training days. This morning one of the girls was stopped at the door and told that her skort was too short. It is a compulsary uniform for the hockey team, and they only come in one length. This girl is particularly curvy which is presumably why she was singled out. A couple of hours later, she was called out of class and told that her skort was distracting to the male teachers and she wasn't to wear it again. Then an announcement was made to the pupils that the skort was no longer to be worn in school or at training, but might possibly be worn at matches. This seems utterly ridiculous to me, that an item of uniform chosen by the school has been deemed inappropriate. I can't believe too that the principal was stupid enough to tell the girl that she would distract the male teachers. Surely ianbu?

The other issue is these skorts are flipping expensive! DD's school has brought them for the Juniors and they are £18 and she needs 2 due to sport on consecutive days. They do come in different sizes though. I'd be so annoyed to be be forced to shell out to put her in a one size and then told she couldn't wear it.

What the hell is a skort???

Off to google.......

Skorts are a cross between a gym skirt and sports shorts.

This is pathetic! I have lost count of how many people have encountered this distracting thing to TEACHERS!
I was ready to take distracting to young students in full hormonal development (who should learn to focus on the lessons anyway).
But from adults, who are in charge of them!
And this is the example we are giving to the children on their charge.
They trully need to be sacked. It is disgusting! This is the country that invented the mini skirt? Where do all this cave people have come from? It is like a subrreal thing. Difficult to believe and get head around. Girls, make sure your ankles are properly covered all the time!

Why are girls still wearing skirts for PE? Even my Catholic all girls school got rid of it in the late noughties after one twelve year old sliced her leg open attempting to shave for PE and the mums kicked up a fuss. Pair of joggers, pair of leggings, shorts even, but compulsary skirts are ridiculous.

@Phineyj

The other issue is these skorts are flipping expensive! DD's school has brought them for the Juniors and they are £18 and she needs 2 due to sport on consecutive days. They do come in different sizes though. I'd be so annoyed to be be forced to shell out to put her in a one size and then told she couldn't wear it.

They do come in different sizes but the length is standard. I think they are a ridiculous item of clothing tbh. Dd went to school today buzzing about it all. Personally i think the teacher who spoke to the girl probably didn't think before they spoke, (though crazy that they even think that way about students and the male gaze) then after discussing with the other staff they tried to mitigate things by telling all of the girls not to wear it. As i said in the op they usually change in and out of sports gear in school but spend the rest of the day in uniform so this has never cropped up before. I actually agree that it's not appropriate for a full school day, especially when the weather gets cold and wet, and i know schools are having to think on their feet at the moment as regards rules because of covid, but there is (rightly) going to be a big fuss over this.

The same has happened at my DD senior School this term so maybe it's a new thing. They were all told not to wear their PE shorts or tight PE leggings outside of PE anymore and have to cover up with a skirt, all due to changes due to lack of being able to use the changing rooms.

They weren't told as such it was distracting for the boys, but I can understand that a teacher or Head may feel the need to give a truthful explanation, but I said to my DD straight away that will be why.

My DD walked into School the other day with her tight PE shorts on and I could see the boys behind her looking but trying not too, she has a fabulous bum, so even though I chuckled to myself, I realised it was a distraction even before she came home and told me about the new rules.

I totally understand the rules and the reasons why.

I dont think any fuss is needed OP.

The girls should wear their PE clothes during PE only and that's that, why make a big deal about it all. So what if it was worded badly.

@FlyingByTheSeatof

The same has happened at my DD senior School this term so maybe it's a new thing. They were all told not to wear their PE shorts or tight PE leggings outside of PE anymore and have to cover up with a skirt, all due to changes due to lack of being able to use the changing rooms.

They weren't told as such it was distracting for the boys, but I can understand that a teacher or Head may feel the need to give a truthful explanation, but I said to my DD straight away that will be why.

My DD walked into School the other day with her tight PE shorts on and I could see the boys behind her looking but trying not too, she has a fabulous bum, so even though I chuckled to myself, I realised it was a distraction even before she came home and told me about the new rules.

I totally understand the rules and the reasons why.

So you totally understand that women need to change their clothing because you think men are incapable of changing their behaviour?

Where does that end? With victim - blaming of sexual assault survivors because of how they dress?

How about we focus on The real issue - male behaviour- rather than making women and girls responsible for how men and boys behave?

To be fair, boys at my dc's school can only wear shorts when doing sport. In lessons etc they have to wear tracksuit bottoms.

I think it has become more of an issue since children have stopped changing for sport at school and are in sports kit all day.

OP you are being ridiculous.

Dd went to school today buzzing about it all.

Buzzing about what? Seems odd

OP is not being ridiculous. How often do we hear of boys being told not to wear short shorts because it would be distracting to their female teachers?

I thought skorts were invented to avoid the gym knickers scenarios of yesteryear. DD wore one at her school 15 years ago.

I will end by saying I also have a teenage DS at the same School so am also able to 'focus on the real issue - male behaviour' in your words OP. He is gentleman when it comes to these things but they are not always fully in control of all body parts, lets say.

Poor grown men who are unable to control themselves around girls in school uniform... I'd be asking about their suitability to be teaching in an all girls school...

I certainly wouldn't want someone who was distracted by a child to be teaching them.

Are you in the USA?

I've heard rules about spaghetti straps being enforced because they are a distraction to the boys.

No sorry I agree with the school, school girls going around like porn stars where I live I can't believe parents allow it and schools don't do anything about it. Tiny mini skirts with black suspenders type socks. I saw one girl with actual suspenders on show this week.My mind was blown.....I am no Mary Whitehouse but it takes my breath away god knows what men think.

I have to say I agree with the school,but I would say the choice of the word "distracting" is unhelpful. I work in a school, and it is off-putting and inappropriate to have to walk upstairs behind girls whose skirts are so short that I can almost see their underwear. Or skirts so short and tight that bits of bum hang out of the side. I also play spirt myself and own a skort. My arse hangs out of the bottom, that's how they're designed. If I was going somewhere after playing sport I would want to put tracksuit bottoms on. I think the comments about paedo teachers are very unfair: I am a straight female so absolutely so sexual element for me at all. But do I find it distracting to catch unwanted glimpses of pupils' underwear and bum cheeks? Absolutely.

*sport not spirt!

Porn stars? The school is very strict, no make up or nail polish, no jewellry, no hair colours, no heels etc. To reiterate, the students were sold this skort as part of their complusary hockey kit. They were told to wear their kit into school on training days because they are not allowed change due to covid and have done so for the last 3 weeks. Changing their mind and telling the girls to wear their tracksuits instead is fine and the right decision imo. But one girl being pulled aside and told not to wear an (unaltered) compulsary item of uniform again as she would distract the male teachers is not ok. Dd was buzzing in the way that teenage girls do when they think one of their friends has been singled out unfairly. She is also cross at the suggestion that the male teachers who she likes and respects are so immature and untrustworthy that they can't control themselves around their students.

Complete rhubarb

I'm sorry but if a male teacher is distracted by a girl in his school's legs he should be in a different job and/or prison for being a sexual predator and possible pedophile.

I'd be complying to the school about this. Totally unacceptable.

Maybe it's distracting to young girls to be treated as sex objects by their teachers.

We discounted a single sex (state) school for my eldest, on the basis of the head’s talk on open day about girls being free to learn without being distracted by, or a distraction to, boys.

When we filled out the parent survey we weren’t polite with our thoughts on the matter.