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.

Not modest? They are trousers.

Have we turned into a Middle Eastern country all this talk of 'modesty'?

I mean calf length skirts would work or we could just make them wear potato sacks? Something to cover their hair too perhaps in case it makes men uncomfy?

I think a lot of students tweak the uniform at the edges to customise it... Wearing a short skirt is one variation of this. But eliminating skirts won't eliminate the tweaks...it will now happen to trousers and shorts across both sexes...and maybe schools will also notice that yes, boys do this too.

Sagging will be the next focus.

I do think it's unfair on those students who want to wear the skirt / pinafore.

As a total Tom boy in the 80s&90s we had to fight to be able to wear trousers. I would have loved this.

it means girls can now sit in the floors cross legged without flashing knickers, do cartwheels, play and run freely and be able to enjoy being kids.

and it does just stop parents without tons of cash having to buy multiple dresses, skirts etc as you can always get black trousers.

DT’s went to a non uniform school from ages 4-18. They wore jeans and a hoodie or shorts and T-shirt in the warmer weather. No behaviour issues or bullying about what they wore. Much more straightforward.

Oh I see, you don't trust girls to make their own choices. Out in the real world many girls and women wear skirts and dresses.

The trousers on offer may be uncomfortable. But according to posters on here trousers are so much better- so how can that be the case?

'Nobody is talking about upper thighs. I wore skirts that showed my upper thigh as a teenager and that is not in any way inappropriate. It is inappropriate to show underwear and arse cheeks'

Never seen 'arse cheeks' on school girls. Short skirts aren't the problem it is the adult male teachers who seem to need protecting according to some on here that are.

To be fair, I got told off in 6th form (loose interpretation of uniform in my school) because my skirts were so short and the male teachers were uncomfortable.
They were; you could often see the top of my tights. But I offset them with a baggy jumper and big boots. It didn't stop me wearing them though.

I often feel like a massive hypocrite in work, when I'm telling girls to roll their skirts down. But equally, I like to be able to see where I'm going when I walk upstairs, rather than avert my eyes from the girl ahead of me. But I do tell them that if their skirts are so short that they have to hold them as they walk upstairs, then perhaps they're too bloody short.

Our skirts are pleated too, so they just look like mushrooms.

I do think the style of skirt makes a difference too. We have two schools on the same site locally.

one has a uniform of a knee length pleated skirt. The design makes it hard to roll up. As such the vast majority of the skirts are a sensible length.

The neighbouring school has a pencil skirt as its uniform. Obviously much easier to roll up and a large majority of them do many to a ridiculous length.

Some prefer to wear skirts / pinafores.

You may have fought to wear trousers. That was your fight and maybe girls at this school can already choose to wear trousers. Some may prefer to wear skirts. That's totally valid too. Not everyone is like you.

So to be clear, instead of thinking its preferable for girls to have the choice, you'd rather they were told what to wear which is what you fought against? Madness.

To be honest I think you're coming over as around 100 years out of date.

There must be very few women about in 2025 who don't wear trousers at least some of the time- the vast majority of us are comfortable and at home in them these days!!

@helloall987 The issue is that the push to make uniforms gender-neutral has resulted in all children wearing uniforms designed for boys, and those uniforms are modelled after clothing worn by adult men. The blazers worn by school children are modelled after items of clothing for men which are designed to accentuate the shoulders and chest, and ties are worn by men in formal occasions. Hardly a uniform that's appropriate for girls and young women.

I would like to see uniforms that are actually gender-neutral. For a start, ties should be abolished because they only cause problems. Blazers for girls and young women could resemble the types of blazers worn by women, rather than men. Just a few thoughts.

If modesty if the reason the school is changing this policy then I can't see how trousers aren't always more modest than skirts. Lots of girls ' trousers are very tight!

I couldn't be bothered to make a fuss about uniform policies but our school has a gender neutral uniform and it includes skirts and trousers, any child can choose to wear either

My first question would be, where is the consultation of parents and what are the results?

https://www.gov.uk/school-uniform#:~:text=Schools%20and%20their%20governors%20decide,it%20on%20the%20school%20website.

I've noticed at work that many of the under 35s hardly ever wear trousers- and at least 2 never do. There's no dress code really beyond clean and smart if seeing clients. That's a big change from say 10-15 years ago. So perhaps you're not as up to date as you think.

I think trousers make sense for little girls at school.

They can then play as hard and be as active as the boys without showing their knickers if they're doing rollie-pollies or climbing, and it's some protection for their knees on the playground.

If you want "femininity", they can have long hair in bunches or whatever.

Yes and a skirt and warm tights is warmer than trousers. And you don't have to worry about the bottom of your trousers getting wet and soggy.

What do you mean to be fair? Why are college staff 'uncomfortable' around girls in skirts? How on earth do they manage out of school, walking down a street do these male teachers need chaperones or something?

'But equally, I like to be able to see where I'm going when I walk upstairs'

I never look at anyone's arse whilst walking up the stairs. It is basic social manners not to do so. Maybe it is school staff that need a good talking to and not the underage girls in skirts?

Tight trousers are perfectly modest.

Clearly not many on here have been hanging about some of the schools near me...

Sagging. Google it. Boys wearing multiple layers. The top layer mid butt, exposing the second layer (normally a short) and then a boxer underneath.

But still, even despite the actual arse hanging out of trousers, what a surprise that no note has been sent home saying that boys should wear their trousers correctly in case they distract female teachers and students. Um. Nope. Because really- quite rightly- sexualising school boys is weird. But it's normally the crappy argument rolled out for the skirt wearing population.... Somehow protecting them from themselves.... Ugh. Double standards all over.

So yes. I'm just waiting for someone to complain that girls are doing trousers and shorts wrong.

Would this not contravene some protected religious characteristics? I’m pretty sure trousers aren’t allowed in some religions for women and girls.

In a slightly similar vein, but not to do with male design, I actually found it really difficult to find trousers suitable and affordable for my daughter to wear to school. She was in P5 before we managed it, after looking at all kinds of different shops and styles, so when she wasn't wearing a skirt or shorts she was wearing leggings, which some people would deem inappropriate (I've no issue with them but they don't last long). Trousers marketed as 'school trousers' don't do.

Sorry, quote disappeared!

Oh the poor male teachers.

But to girls at school trousers are masculine. So forcing girls to wear trousers at school is effectively maki ng them wear the masculine option.