Badged uniform for girls not boys

[Poolhater]

I should say that the primary school seemed quite “progressive” in that they removed the “boys” and “girls”
label on their uniform list. The just list “winter” or “summer” uniform.

So coming from that I don’t know if I’m being really unreasonable here.

One of our daughters is at a mixed senior school and was keen for some trousers so we went to the uniform shop to purchase them at weekend. She’s happy with them. They were £20 odd quid a pair - they have the school badge on the waist band as does the school skirt (badge must be on show so assume it’s to stop them rolling skirt up - one the reasons she wanted the trousers is that this particular school is very strict on skirt length; it has to be on the knee or below at any point in the year and most weeks she is getting anxious looking at her reflection to make sure it’s not too short so having s trouser option for her seemed sensible.)

She came back from school today and she said she’s noticed none of the boys have a badge on their trousers. And they seem to vary in in style.

I’ve looked at the uniform policy and the girls’ uniform list states “x colour trousers with badge on the waist”. Whereas the boys’ uniform list states “x colour trousers from school supplier” with no ref to the badge.

There are photos of both and the girls’ trousers are the only ones with a badge.

So I’m having to pay £20 odd quid for one pair. But a parent of a boy could pay £20 for a couple of pairs from a supermarket!

AIBU to think that if the girls’ trousers should have a badge, then the boys’ should too?

(Just to add the girls’ trousers are a different colour to the boys’.)

Yes you are being unreasonable - it doesn’t matter!

No, you are not being unreasonable - what goes for uniform standards for the girls should also go for the boys.

Sounds very odd! I would take it up with the school.

Ours is the same.

If they've removed the "boys" and "girls" from the list, just pick trousers that follow the "... colour from school supplier"

Its been the same for years... girls uniform having expensive items, boys can go to m&s or Tesco. Kilts, coloured blouses, certain shirts, tights that need replacing regularly... Skorts for PE...

I would be fuming mad. Why the f**k should girls uniform cost more than boys. I would be buying supermarket trousers from now on and telling the school their policy is discriminatory and not to even think about putting my child in detention just because they still live in the 1960s and think a policy like that is acceptable.

@MilkTwoSugarsThanks

If they've removed the "boys" and "girls" from the list, just pick trousers that follow the "... colour from school supplier"

This school hasn’t removed “boys” and “girls”. The primary school did that she previously attended.

Ah, I misunderstood sorry.

I'd bring it up with the school and ask them to justify their decision. I realise it probably looks quite smart, but that's not really the point is it. If they do it to keep it in line with the skirts I'd ask what's wrong with keeping it in line with the boys.

I would guess it's because boys school trousers tens to be a similar style but some girls are extremely tight or not a suitable style for school. Our school allows trousers from anywhere but has lists of suitable styles for boys and girls

I assume it's because they don't want them wearing them skintight so want to impose a single supplier and single cut in a way that will be checkable.

You'd have to unleash some righteous feminist anger about girls' bodies not being some kind of dangerous trap to be hidden away in order to challenge it.

Badges for those that try to raise/lower their clothes.

No badges needed for those that don't do it

I've been on both sides of this. Dd3s school do this. I could be outraged I suppose.
But then my older dds went to a different senior school and there was endless debate about girls feckin trousers.my eldest was sent home with a note about trousers when she was wearing bog standard marks and sparks ones. She went back in exactly the same trousers, never mentioned again.
Dd2 made it her life's work to "get way" with skinny trousers. Such a waste of effort and the teachers time.
I embrace the school outfitter trousers, skirt and blazer.

@araiwa

Badges for those that try to raise/lower their clothes.

No badges needed for those that don't do it

They arent going to raise or lower their trousers though? That's a silly argument to justify a badge on girls trousers but not on boys.

@SpiderinaWingMirror

I've been on both sides of this. Dd3s school do this. I could be outraged I suppose. But then my older dds went to a different senior school and there was endless debate about girls feckin trousers.my eldest was sent home with a note about trousers when she was wearing bog standard marks and sparks ones. She went back in exactly the same trousers, never mentioned again. Dd2 made it her life's work to "get way" with skinny trousers. Such a waste of effort and the teachers time. I embrace the school outfitter trousers, skirt and blazer.

To clarify; I have no problem with a uniform policy. My problem is that the same is not expected of both girls and boys; surely if girls should have to have badged items, the same should go for the boys?

"They arent going to raise or lower their trousers though? That's a silly argument to justify a badge on girls trousers but not on boys."

Exactly. Everyone should either have the badge or not have the badge. It's unfair that the parents of girls have to pay more.

Girls are subjected to so many more rules. My 15 year old was telling me recently that at her school some of the other girls have got in trouble because their tracksuit bottoms are 'skin tight' and that's not allowed. They are Canterburys, school regulation, and the only ones they are allowed to wear. So in actual fact, they have been punished for having the 'wrong' body shape.

Make a written complaint.

Thanks for the replies.

I feel vindicated now in feeling slightly enraged by it.

I think I will ask the School why the difference in approach to boys’ and girls’ uniforms.

But it's the reason behind the badged trousers that are the issue, as per my post.

As a teacher I know girls trousers and skirts are an absolute minefield. What may look ‘right’ on one child doesn’t seem to fit uniform policy on a child of a different body type. I guess the badged clothing takes away any ambiguity.

I do see your argument about boys, but I must admit I’ve only ever seen a handful of boys attempt to get away with skinny trousers, almost all, as you have said, have the multipack pairs from the supermarket.

I’m a mum of girls too, and dread the high school days already!

@SpiderinaWingMirror

But it's the reason behind the badged trousers that are the issue, as per my post.

I’m not sure I follow.

I think you are saying two of your kids went to school where there was no badging but there was a requirement for a certain style and so because of this there were endless “discussions” about what was acceptable.

Whereas your other child did wear badged uniform.

I’m saying I’m quite happy for the trousers to be badged (and surely by badging them this means that their won’t be the endless discussions about styles and what is acceptable).

My concern is only that the girls’ trousers have to be badged and therefore a certain style.

My kids secondary school is the same. Girls had to have specific blouses at £11 a pop to show year group and a specific skirt at £22 from school shop, which changed colour when they went to senior years and could be purchased nowhere else. The boys could have plain white shirts and grey trousers, both could be brought from supermarkets. All they had to buy was a tie at £8, that only changed when they went into seniors. So two ties needed for the whole school life. Girls changed yearly. The whole cost of their uniform was the price of one skirt for girls. I complained and got some rubbish back, that the school uniform was picked by the pupils and ok'd by the Governors. This was when the school opened originally and not looked at again. I asked that this be looked at again, but it never was and I was sick of asking. All they did was offer a second hand one if I was struggling.

@Mcginn

As a teacher I know girls trousers and skirts are an absolute minefield. What may look ‘right’ on one child doesn’t seem to fit uniform policy on a child of a different body type. I guess the badged clothing takes away any ambiguity.

I do see your argument about boys, but I must admit I’ve only ever seen a handful of boys attempt to get away with skinny trousers, almost all, as you have said, have the multipack pairs from the supermarket.

I’m a mum of girls too, and dread the high school days already!

And I understand that they want to avoid style issues by making the uniform, well, uniform!

But surely the same should be afforded to both girls and boys.

Yes, maybe only a few boys want to wear skinny trousers but surely if you are going to be strict on the uniform policy, that’s a few too many?

@Loopyloulou007

My kids secondary school is the same. Girls had to have specific blouses at £11 a pop to show year group and a specific skirt at £22 from school shop, which changed colour when they went to senior years and could be purchased nowhere else. The boys could have plain white shirts and grey trousers, both could be brought from supermarkets. All they had to buy was a tie at £8, that only changed when they went into seniors. So two ties needed for the whole school life. Girls changed yearly. The whole cost of their uniform was the price of one skirt for girls. I complained and got some rubbish back, that the school uniform was picked by the pupils and ok'd by the Governors. This was when the school opened originally and not looked at again. I asked that this be looked at again, but it never was and I was sick of asking. All they did was offer a second hand one if I was struggling.

The policy may have been written years ago before chainstores actively marketed the school uniform. But that's still a hidden financial cost which discriminates against the parents of girls.

Yes, maybe only a few boys want to wear skinny trousers but surely if you are going to be strict on the uniform policy, that’s a few too many?

Absolutely

My boys didnt wear skinny trousers, but it was very fashionable in their school to wear them

Dd moved to skinny trousers from skirts, she was never picked up on it by teachers, (unlike when she was wearing a skirt) I assume because then the teachers would have to do the same with the boys

Yep, they are a certain style, hence stops the endless debate about the wrong trousers, or the right trousers. The badge shows that. But if it bothers you, it bothers you. All I'm saying is that in my experience the alternative is painful (but then that may well have been coloured by dd2 stroppy phase)