Compulsory skirt supplier- is this discrimination?

[greenmarsupial]

My DD's secondary school have had an overhaul of their uniform policy. They have said that the new skirt is one specific type only and that it must be purchased from their online supplier or from a specific local shop. It costs £20.

The skirt itself is not compulsory, girls can choose to wear trousers but boys cannot choose to wear the skirt.

The other one-supplier uniform items are the PE top and the blazer.

It seems to me (as someone with no legal background at all) that there must be some discrimination law around making a single sex item only be allowed to be bought from one supplier when trousers etc can be bought cheaper from a supermarket.

I'm only bothered as a point of principle, the skirts were getting ridiculously short but I do think a general style would have been better.

Do I have any grounds to complain?

I think not because she could wear trousers bought in any supermarket.

Some people like to complain just for the sake of it.....

You have grounds to complain about only one supplier I think.

I think its "OK" coz they have an alternative

Similar at DD's school, had never even crossed my mind, let alone thought to complain

Well no not really; it’s perfectly normal for a particular supplier to supply a school skirt. That’s been the case with all the schools my children have attended and £20 for a school skirt is not ridiculous. I’d easily be spending £20 on trousers (at least) when they wear them every day otherwise they don’t last

I think since the girls can wear trousers, then its ok. They can just buy trousers from anywhere like the boys can. It would be different if they insisted that girls had to wear the skirt with no other option.

I think that it might depend on what the skirt looks like. If it's a single colour, then I'd complain but not if it's a special pattern on it that only the school uses.

They can wear trousers bought from any store

They can wear skirts from one supplier to regulate length/style. If you say 'black skirt, knee length ' you'll get stretchy skirts that are far too short in a matter of weeks of term starting

It is a bit of a dick move by the school. I volunteer with a charity that supports families in financial difficulty in our borough. There is government guidance out there regarding costs of uniform which arguably your school is complying with by the letter but not the spirit. Having said that, the trousers option helps. I’d worry about those families really financially struggling, the range of uniform costs from school to school is huge here, and often the families struggling the most don’t get the choice over where they live or what school they go to.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-school-uniforms/cost-of-school-uniforms

Seriously, why would you want to complain !!

Me too. I thought everywhere had this. This is the skirt, this is where you get it.

Unless the uniform policy says 'black skirt' and you can just get any skirt.

You couldn't have loads of shops all selling uniforms from different schools.

My sons school have to purchase their trousers from this one specific supplier, double the price and half the quality of supermarket trousers.
So annoying

Now that's unfair unless the boys can wear the skirt

It is a single colour, nothing special about it apart from the style of pleat.

Even if they said 'pleated, black, knee-length'?

But surely that's your choice to spend £20 on trousers rather than £6 on supermarket ones?

@darkmodeon but why is this unfair and not the exact same situation with the skirt?

DDs school skirt cost more than the blazer.

Its the oddity on the uniform list... they are getting rid of most of the pe kit next year (just leaving a tshirt, everything else plain Navy) but still have this one specific skirt.

Because the girls can wear the trousers.

If they wore their skirts properly they wouldn't have to do this. Perhaps a fairer way would be wear a skirt if you cam wear it properly and if you're caught not wearing it properly then they have to buy the expensive uniform one.

@darkmodeon - good point, you're right that they can wear trousers. I like your uniform policy idea- when I was at school, if you forgot your swimming hat you had to wear a flowery one, maybe I should suggest something like that

Erm is the school initials RH?

@Geo42 @Dartmoorcheffy

I don't really want to complain, it just feels like one of those things that slips in as 'ok' but is actually quite unfair.

There are quite a few parents up in arms at the cost- multiple DDs, announcement only made in mid-June when they have already shopped for uniform/secured second hand etc.

Im not that bothered on a personal level, it's really more the principle.

No, it's not- sounds like a national skirt campaign is afoot!