Change to school PE kit, does this sound reasonable?

[lucie8881]

Not sure whether I’m missing something glaringly obvious so I thought I’d see what others opinions are on this. For background, my 2 daughters attend the same high school, one in year 10, the other year 8. The basic PE kit comprises of a polo shirt to be worn with either shorts, tracksuit bottoms or a skort. The skort was introduced three years ago, it’s a short a-line style gym skirt with integrated cycling shorts. All the kit has the school emblem and colours and can only be purchased through one supplier specified by the school. Due to coronavirus precautions in place, on PE days, children are to attend school in their PE kits with their blazer over the top.

At the start of the school year I asked my daughters what their preference was for PE kit and both opted for a skort and a pair of tracksuit bottoms, for when the weather was cooler. However, my eldest DD has had a growth spurt so her tracksuit bottoms are now too small.

During the summer holidays last year a new head teacher came into position, and from the outset he seems to have taken issue with the skorts. On several occasions he has asked girls to pull the skorts down as they are too short. But because of the integrated shorts you can’t really make them longer or shorter.

Then this afternoon I receive an email from the school, addressed to all parents, stating that with immediate effect skorts are not to be worn as it’s been identified as a safeguarding issue.

Now I’ve got just 2 days to get hold of some shorts for my eldest, which irritates me on a few levels. My DD has worn the shorts previously but didn’t like them as the waistband was thick and itchy and the legs were too loose fitting so we’re more revealing than she was comfortable with. Plus they’re not the cheapest and I’m not able to shop around. There’s no point buying anymore tracksuit bottoms as they are standard length and will be far too short.

I just can’t see what safeguarding issue there could be around the skorts? Unless I’m missing something?? My concern is that the change is fuelled by the head teachers own personal views on what is appropriate dress for women/girls.

I’m going to email the school tomorrow to ask whether there has been an incident that I’m not aware of that has led to the change.

Am I being unreasonable for being annoyed by the sudden change to PE kit and missing a genuine safety concern?

Further to some of the great replies you have had I'd also be concerned about my daughter's access to PE being jeopardised. My daughter's school decided that they would do PE in their uniforms and I was unhappy about that. They can't do PE properly with white blouses and kilts.

I don't like how they've framed this as a 'safeguarding' issue as I think it risks sexuallising something that isn't sexual. Might have been better if they just asked everyone who can to wear trakki bottoms for gym for comfort and practicality reasons.

Sorry, posted too early as I went to re-read my letter to the school.

Teenage girls should not be thinking about what they look like when they are doing sport was the crux of it. Feeling embarrassed is something that should not be pushed on to them. High school is already the time when girls will stop participating in sport without the school suggesting that sport attire, designed for sport, is not what they should be wearing to do sport.

It really makes me mad.

TustedFormula
There's also guidance about affordability of uniforms, single supply etc but many schools ignore that guidance too.

The speed of change does suggest something significant has happened, though if that was the case the way the head has dropped the 'safeguarding' bomb risks either creating excessive worry for parents as details obviously can't be shared, or creating understandable anger is it suggests that teenage girls are the safeguarding problem.

It could be that something big has happened, there's procedure being followed to deal with a perpetrator and the school are changing their PE uniform as another measure, or it could be the head is talking up something to justify removing an item of uniform that he dislikes.

@Ilovemaisie

Unless your daughter is unusually tall then there should surely be another size up of trackies. If there isn't I would buy a plain pair in the relevant colour and inform the school that you would love to purchase the official school ones but unfortunately they don't sell the size you need.

Tracksuit trousers very rarely come in different lengths. Especially for girls.

My thought is, that its come from another angle.

That some parent has kicked off at sally having to come to school in her Skort, rather than her proper uniform

I cannot imagine any circumstance where a pair of shorts is less of a safeguarding issue than a skort. I thought skorts were designed precisely to preserve a girl's modesty

All the schools in my area have skorts as part of the girls PE uniform. I know that for at least two schools, tracksuit trousers have to be worn over any kit when travelling to/from school. One is an all girls school and one is mixed - the rule applies to the boys as well.

I'd question them in writing and verbally how a skort is more of a safeguarding issue than shorts & also ask if a specific incident has led to this rapid change.

In the meantime I'd send her to school on PE day with regular uniform & write a note that she will not be participating as her tracksuit is too short, she is uncomfortable with the shorts and due to the change to the uniform, there was nothing you could do to remedy this in the short space of time. Idiots.

@TustedFormula

The head will be aware of the guidance though, so it does suggest something big has happened to bring about such dramatic action. I'd suggest the action is still wrong, but I'd also guess something awful has happened

I wouldn't bet on the head being aware of the school uniform guidance, to be honest. It's also a distinct possibility that she is aware and has decided to ignore it because she's on a power trip, not because anything in particular has happened. New academy heads often like to target uniform purely because it's a much easier thing to focus on than raising academic standards.

I might be missing something but from your description the shorts will pretty much be the same as the skort anyway, obviously minus the skirt bit. I can’t really see why they ever brought the skort in in the first place. We had the option of them at secondary school as well but there’s no way anyone wore them, we all wore shorts.

I'd also want to know how their safeguarding policy is changing to reflect this, and ask has the current concern been discussed with social care... and what was their response.

Aside from the safeguarding issue, my DD's school has skorts and they don't get any longer as you go up the sizes so it doesn't even cover her bum and the shorts are like hot pants - she wears running leggings underneath. This might be the solution?

I'd agree if it weren't for the timescale Nith. New heads do often change uniform (although that's not what this is) but they'd do it from the start of the new academic year, not overnight. I do think there's something urgent he's trying to address, but he's gone about it the wrong way.

I would email and explain that the only option your DC currently have for pe is the skort, and that new uniform will be purchased in readiness for September.

I would also ask what additional safeguarding risks arise with the skorts as opposed to the shorts - the skort is simply a pair of shorts with an additional layer over the top so you are interested in the reasoning behind the ban on the skort with such immediate effect.

Our high school has been wearing pe kit instead of normal uniform. Girls have been told tracksuit bottoms they are jot allowed to wear skirt or shorts as not suitable for walking around school.

It's fine for a school to change uniform. No issue with them removing skorts if shorts are available. But....you should have adequate notice of this happening. September seems reasonable.

@alliejay81

Skorts aren't a safeguarding issue. Teenage girl legs are perceived as a safeguarding issue. If there is a real safeguarding issue, it's people (probably males statistically speaking) behaving inappropriately and therefore the intervention should focus on male behaviour rather female dress.

As a headteacher they need to be mindful about the lesson they are teaching their pupils and it isn't a good one. It's teaching female pupils that they need to change their behaviour due to a problem caused by males, rather than asking males to change their behaviour due to a problem caused by males. It's a terrible lesson to teach teenagers and it sets us up for another generation of the same patriarchal crap.

Personally this is the hill I would chose to die on. I would take three actions:

1. discuss the rights and wrongs of this with my daughters
2. see if I could gain consensus with other parents
3. challenge the school hard. I'd want to understand exactly what made it a safeguarding issue and fight it.

I agree with this 100%. Girls and women need to stop changing their behaviour to address inappropriate MALE behaviour.

OP this is a perfect opportunity to change things.

Why is it not suitable fir walking around school.

If there's a fire drill all the kids doing pe will have to evacuate too so clearly they can walk around in them.

What is it about forcing girls to wear tight /short pe items because let's face it joggers don't always fit and not all schools allow sports leggings, embarrassing them and putting them of sport by making them.wear such stuff, then tuning round and telling telling the kit is unsuitable to be seen.outside a sports ball in. How is that supoosed to make girls feel.

When was the last time boys were told their pe kits weren't suitable

@TustedFormula

The head will be aware of the guidance though, so it does suggest something big has happened to bring about such dramatic action. I'd suggest the action is still wrong, but I'd also guess something awful has happened

But its not the skort that has done something awful, banning it doesn't solve the problem.

Yes Crockof, that's why I said the action is likely wrong.

Omg.... the head is an arse.

@Whatwouldscullydo boys have been told they cant wear shorts either, theynhave to wear tracksuit bottoms.

I would ask the school to identify the person/people making the girls unsafe, and explain to you why they're allowed on school property.

So quick question - if your DD had a growth spurt, her trousers were too small but her skort still fitted her? That's the problem at our school (I work in a secondary school). Girls will unfortunately wear skorts that are way too small for them. So a 15 year old girl will be wearing a skort that would fit an 12 year old. A well fitted and correctly sized skort would be ok, it's because they wear them in sizes that are way too small. They are so short, it looks like they are wearing nothing as the skort is shorter than the polo top.

The safeguarding issue may be that parents have complained that some pupils have been harassed on the street or public transport. Our school received complaints from local businesses saying that girls were being harassed in their coffee shop (that was between the lockdowns, in September). Our school also had to take the skort off the uniform list.

well I would email back. Seperate the 2 issues.

It is not possible for you to replace the skort at such short notice. Dd doesn't have a tracksuit.
Nor have you budgeted for this item to be replaced this term.

Therefore the shcool must come up with an alternative (eg plain black cycle shorts, which are widely available and cheap) for the girls to tide them over until a proper replacement can be brought in.

Then as a seperate thing I would ask for a breakdown of the safeguarding decision, pointing out that the short is shorter, and that the skort is widely used in many schools (my girls school has a skort, it is standard pe equipement)

I would also say that if the issue is around 'male gaze' they they need to start reading up on victim blaming. (but this last bit might not be tactical at this point)