AIBU to think it isn't fair for school to ban skirts and dresses

[helloall987]

My kids attend an all through school they start at 4 in reception and it goes up to 18. There is a primary and a secondary site.

From September they have changed their uniform to trousers and shorts so no school dresses, skirts or pinafores allowed. All children boys and girls to wear black trousers or shorts. No school shoes either just black trainers. The two reasons they cite are modesty and a gender neutral approach so there is no distinction between girls and boys. This is for primary and secondary school pupils. My DD loves wearing pinafores and patent school shoes. I just think think that with this policy the idea of "feminity" is being taken away.

Most parents think it is a great idea but there are a few of us who want to contest it.

A school in Lewes did this. Quite a few parents were annoyed.

www.theargus.co.uk/news/17885448.furious-parents-protest-lewes-priory-school-gender-neutral-uniform/

Find another school if you don't like the uniform policy.

Even that all the girls I know end up wearing shorts as well as their dress, I think this sounds very sensible.

If they want gender neutrality allow the boys to wear dresses as well as the girls to wear skirts and then everyone is happy.

I do think it's a shame that "gender neutral" so often means "the girls must wear clothing traditionally assigned to boys" and never the other way round.

I wouldn't bother with this sort of rule in primary but the girls going to our local secondaries have their bums half hanging out of mini skirts, so I totally get it from a secondary POV. If mine (primary age) were in a school that covered the whole age range I'd just soak it up for the greater good. Any rule would need to specific that shorts have to be loose though, or you're just going to end up with teenaged girls rocking up to school half naked again.

I really don't get the shoes thing though.

Gender neutral equals male which isn’t gender neutral at all.

Modesty also raises concerning questions - what is immodest about a dress or proper shoes rather than trainers.

I don't see why it matters tbh it seems fine and sensible to me. Black trainers are a more appropriate shoe for kids to wear than parent school shoes, they are more comfortable and they can run play etc easier

TBF it does stop the girls rolling their skirts up to bum cheek levels. But as a teenager I did struggle to find trousers that fitted on both hips and waist. With the much wider selection of trousers/shorts now available I’m sure I would have been fine.
Not quite sure what you mean when you are equating shoes with feminity though? Your daughter is female no matter what she wears.

I work in schools and I wonder if this is about length of skirts. It is a constant battle trying to get a significant number of girls from Year 6 upwards to stop rolling their skirts up so short that you can literally see their underwear.

The shoe thing is probably, again, because so many try to push the rules wearing heeled shoes, boots, sliders etc and trainers are more practical.

My DD is at a girls grammar now. and she has been told since Reception at least twice a year that she is a boy for only wearing trousers. Always girls making the comments. She wears trousers because she has scarring on her legs from an accident. It is entirely her choice and she should be allowed to wear what makes her comfortable. I had to fight at middle school because the dress code was skirts for girls. I think there is a time for femininity but it is usually the girls who ostracise other girls for wearing trousers, not boys.

'modesty'

Yanbu, absolutely against this nonsense

Have you looked at the girls in your local secondary school? It is of course, up to them but modest is not a word that I would use.

I think it’s an excellent idea. Not all girls are what you describe as “feminine” and not all feel comfortable wearing skirts. Why should girls and boys be segregated by their gender? It’s reinforcing ancient ideas about gender stereotypes. More feminine girls can easily express their femininity without wearing a skirt! The idea that girls can’t wear the same things as boys can lead to dangerous ideas that girls can’t DO the same things as boys. A school uniform is supposed to be there to not distinguish children from each other, to promote the idea that everyone is equal - the clue is in the word - uniform - meaning equal, the same.

Another positive is girls won’t be able to wear skirts that show half their backside and their knickers! I see teen girls everywhere from different schools wearing ridiculously tiny skirts. This is definitely NOT coming from a viewpoint of “girls shouldn’t wear revealing clothing to tempt boys” bullshit. It’s just that it’s not appropriate for anyone of any gender to basically walk about in their underwear

As someone who has worked in many schools I think this is a very good idea, especially for secondary school age children

Are we in the 1950s? Women have worn trousers and shorts for decades.

Sounds sensible and practical to me. There are plenty more hours in the week to be "feminine".

Since when have trousers and shorts been "male"?

I would fully support banning skirts for the reasons stated upthread.

Dresses are great and can't so easily be shortened to ridiculous lengths, but it seems that only the youngest ones wear these.

I don't see trousers and tops as boy's/men's clothing.

I think it's hard to make a good call on shoes, but anything that reduces the chance for kids to have to compete for popularity over branding is something I would support.

It doesn’t sound like a bad idea. It won’t remove femininity as she’s still a girl. Nice to have a level playing field for all kids though and itl be handy when they’re at that age where everyone competes for the shortest skirt

I can't see the problem at all. In most primary schools girls wear shorts under dresses anyway.

Shorts and trousers for all seems a very sensible approach, they are not male clothing and I can't see why anyone would complain.

Do you not wear trousers? I do, every day apart from a few, very hot days.

If it's a mixed school, the upskirting and sexual assaults by boys are probably being considered

I get the plain black trainer thing. It's more practical anyway and comfortable. And potentially they could wear it outside of school.
She can wear shiny shoes at home.

It does seem odd to ban skirts. I can see they might have issues with skirt length and style at secondary age.

But they should still say knee length or below skirt or trousers for either sex. That's gender neutral. Saying 'female' clothing is banned is not.

Don't see anything wrong with it personally.

It's wearing clothes all can wear.

Girls and women have been wearing shorts and trousers for decades because they are comfortable and practical. Girls can wear dresses and skirts outside school hours if they want to. School uniform has never been about self expression.