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.

What do you expect when they see women wear so little..camel toes galore and OF seen as credible

I would love a school that has that uniform policy’. As others have said you can complain or move schools if it matters that much to your daughter.

I could understand that argument 30 years ago, but with nearly all fabrics having some stretch to them I can't really see it being an issue.

Yeah I think what will probably happen is the girls will find a style of trouser that is completely inappropriate and shorts that are too short and the school with have start having rules about what type of trousers and shorts are allowable and it will just continue. Teenagers are programmed to push against boundaries, it's just the way it is.

The engagement in physical activities including organised sports takes a massive dive in secondary schooling for girls. While some of this is the onset of menstruation, a lot of it is the differences in "girls" clothes ( I say this because trousers and shorts are just as much girls' clothes) whereby girls feel awkward and limited by skirts, worried that they going to fly up and show their underwear.

This is a good move by the school.

Yeah because their parents need to be stricter

Many times it’s the girls who ‘can’t behave’. My male teacher friends have repeatedly been falsely accused by girls of looking up their skirts - it’s an absolute problem in terms of safeguarding.

That’s a shame. Pinafores/dresses/skirts look lovely and smart. Trousers look meh…

Im puzzled as to how she could have been wearing different trousers for several months without you noticing - and then sent them to charity with labels on! Did you not wonder why the trousers you bought were never being washed?

The organisation Let Clothes Be Clothes found that many girls liked wearing skirts during their period due to having to wear really bulky pads that don't fit well under tighter trousers.
I imagine it's easier to change period pants too.
My DD primary school has joggers or leggings and black trainers as uniform - but you can wear looser joggers to solve that problem.
It's been very hard to find plain black leather trainers also.

This is absolutely crazy. YANBU. Pinafore and skirts/dresses are so much smarter. I don't really like girls in trousers as part of school uniform (just a personal preference), but completely understand and respect the reasons for girls wearing trousers, so I think there should be the option of both.

I wish they’d do this in my kids’ secondary school. They’ve just introduced logo’d skirts to stop the girls rolling them up, as so many of them wear them so high up their bum cheeks are visible. They’ve also made black tights mandatory for the same reason - which seems very unfair on the girls who wear their skirts at a sensible length but now have to sweat through summer in tights.

Trousers are smart, practical, and work for both sexes. Outside of school what they wear is between them and their parents, but in school I don’t see why we can’t just have the most practical option for both - which is trousers.

I agree with you that they will probably still bend the rules as far as they can, but I don't think a pair of tight trousers is as bad. I'm not usually overly bothered by modesty, but knicker skimming skirts shock even me, I wouldn't think anything of a pair of tight trousers. The shorts might be more problematic though.

That's the problem though. From an early age boys are dressed to play and get dirty, whereas girls are expected to look pretty and clean. It's not a good stereotype to adhere to.

I think it's a good thing. They are more practical especially in primary school when they're constantly climbing and doing cartwheels everywhere etc

And i disagree that 'gender neutral means boys clothes'. Most girls and women wear some form of shorts or trousers outside school. Hardly any men wear dresses. Having one uniform that's trousers, reflects what people actually wear

My dgd doesn’t like trousers

also easier to go to the loo in a skirt for girls to some extent and boys can use a fly

Indeed. It's very telling that even on is thread more than one poster has said they value the look of a girl in a dress/skirt etc over how practical and comfortable the clothing is.

I’m curious what people mean by trousers not ‘fitting’ them well.

I wear scrubs to work - no skirt option for obvious practical reasons. I don’t know any women who can’t find scrub pants to wear. I’m sure they’re less ‘well fitting’ on some in terms of appearance, no doubt including me, but as we’re not at work to look nice that’s fine.

I mostly wear dresses outside of work as they look better on me. But as I say - that’s not what I need from my work outfit.

Scrubs are obviously very different to smart fitting trousers.

The reasoning is nonsense and I’d be very dubious about school with pre-teens and teens that wants to pretend there’s no difference between boys and girls.

Unfortunately there’s always the minority who spoil it for everyone else. My niece went to school in a belt of a skirt the other day and it’s the extremes of length, or lack of, that are the problem.

Doesn’t she? My DD doesn’t like wearing a tie. She still does, though, because it’s a mandatory part of the uniform. If we never insisted kids do things they don’t like most of them probably wouldn’t bother going to school.

DD somehow also manages to go to the toilet despite the added inconvenience of trousers…

What is it with teachers telling kids what to wear?

A uniform policy should consist of a colour scheme and tie. For example, black blazerwith black skirt / trousers and tie.

This fixation teachers have with what kids wear is absolutely batshit. Smart and correct colour scheme should suffice.

Complain op. Tell them to focus on the curriculum not kids outfits.

It's brilliant. As an immigrant (been here 20 years!), I have never understood the British obsession with women/girls wearing skirts and dresses.

Skirts are so impractical, I don't understand why you would want a primary aged girl in a skirt. You want them to run around and have fun. And when you get to secondary age, modesty (or lack of it) is a real issue.

Seems a good move. Girls are not decorations and should not be worrying about their appearance whilst at school to learn. The comfier the better, including leggings.