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.

Of course there would be demand, women wear dresses and skirts for 101 different reasons beyond 'trousers don't fit me'.

I can't imagine not being able to fit in any trousers - what on earth do you do when it's snowing?

Maybe ankle length skirts are the answer for those who need to wear a skirt then?

I wouldn't have a problem with the rule change itself, but the short timeframe is an issue as it means you have to buy new school shoes, trousers and shorts all before September even if your child hasn't outgrown them yet.

What do you mean, what do I do when it is snowing? I am an adult now with a adult woman's body shape, so my clothing issues are very different to the issues my mother had when shopping for me as a teenage girl in an awkward stage of adolescent development. My menstrual cycle has settled down as well. The issues I had then were still real. Or am I supposed to be the only woman who ever experienced cramping as a teenager?

As I said, At different times in my life, my wardrobe has solely consisted of skirts, or trousers, or been balanced between both.

The reality is school uniform is not what many children would choose to wear ! My sin hates the formal trousers

Yes I agree about parental complaints (I'm a retired headteacher). However, some schools seem to enforce their uniform codes very strictly and others not as much. I notice this when I'm driving around at school leaving times.

I love this idea makes it more fair. When I was at school in the 90's boys were asking to be able to wear shorts.

My children went to a SEN school. There was a uniform but wasn't strict. My daughter sometimes wore a school skirt but there was 1 time she needed the toilet urgently. Staff never got chance to pull her skirt up. She got poo on it. So that was the last time she wore a skirt for school. As her teacher said at the time she's just not ladylike enough trousers and shorts are more practical. Especially playing outside doing handstands etc. You don't know who's watching your children in the playground.

One of our DD's school did this and the trousers were so awful and ill-fitting too. If a girl doesn't want to wear a skirt, fine, but my DD didn't want to be forced to wear ugly trousers every day of her childhood, especially when boys were not being limited. It felt punitive to the girls, and shaming.

We ended up removing our child from the school.

I think it's great. It's simpler, removes the issues with summer/ winter uniforms and black trousers are perfectly OK for girls to wear. Nothing is perfect but it's close enough.

This is how it is at my daughter's primary school, pupils can wear whatever they want from the uniform list, skirts/dresses can be worn by everyone.

I think that some of these answers say more about the adults than the kids.

"Why does this school's policy require that they take options away from girls, rather than giving them to boys, eh?"

As pp's have all stated this removes a lot of behaviour / uniform issues with skirts being rolled up.

In general reducing clothing choices are the whole point of a uniform code...

Dresses and skirts are also comfortable and practical. In winter a skirt and tights is warmer than trousers.

I find it extremely concerning that the school is telling girls that any kind of dress or skirt is immodest.

You can wear a skirt when it's snowing...

It’s a great idea, I wish more schools did this, all we see round here is girls wearing skirts that barely cover their bits. It’s grim! And makes me sad for younger girls who will no doubt be wanting to do the same. Definitely not appropriate for school

Women in the U.K. have been wearing trousers for around 100 years, it’s not exactly surprising to see women and girls wear trousers.

Trousers are more practical, more likely to have pockets, cover your lower legs when it’s cold out and stop you flashing your knickers while playing, doing cartwheels, running up and downstairs etc.

There is nothing sexist or anti-girl about setting the same uniform requirements for both sexes.

If you are going to fight against having any uniform at all, I’m right there with you. But if you accept the school has a right to set a uniform you must also accept it might be not what you’d like, nor what you would be prepared to wear in any other situation.

No one cares if your daughter wants to be girly - or feminine, or has trouble finding decent fitted trousers. The uniform is what it is (and almost no one likes wearing it)

I was at school in the 70s and 80s and our uniform was black trousers and a grey jumper, so you're not wrong.

Wouldn’t she have pooed on her trousers. Skirts are easier surely

In the UK trousers weren’t exactly socially acceptable though. I know women wore them in the war but mil told me her dm wouldn’t let her go out in them in the 50s.

our headmistress in the 80 wouldn’t tolerate trousers even in the sixth form .

lol I know that was a while back

I think the black trainers is a great idea. They are much more practical, better for their feet, better when rains, and saves families from needing to buy trainers for PE and school shoes.

My girls both wear shorts under their school dresses in summer, tights in winter. They both prefer PE days when they go in in shorts and school t shirt and hoodie, much more comfortable for learning.

I think some kind of uniform is helpful and saves the 'what to wear' discussions. But especially in primary it should just be a specific colour tracksuit and school t shirt, ours look smart in their PE kit and wear them on school trips as it more distinctive than generic white shirt and grey dress/skirt

Bit silly to suggest this when OPs children already attend the school. It’s fine to challenge or question a policy if someone doesn’t agree with it. If enough people feel the same and challenge it, then there may be a possibility it’s overturned. More people at the moment are vocalising against this sort of idiocy.

The best school my kids attended was no uniform.
But if we have to have a uniform then I like the trousers suggestion. My girls would much rather have worn trousers, but the popular girls would bully trouser wearing girls, calling them dykes, losers etc. Trainers are far easier, our school allowed anything that was sensible and entirely black, trainers included.

Trousers you pull down and they are out of the way. Skirts you need to lift and position to the right point

The school have done this most probably because of the ridiculous length of girls skirts. Peer pressure dictates that skirts must be rolled up as high as possible. Many girls are unhappy with this. We did a survey at our school that told us this. Parents don’t help by taking girls skirts to be taken up. On parents eve they wear uniform and the parents make no attempt to tell them to unroll their skirt so why should I. It’s a waste of my time. I’m so sick of school uniform. Hardly any other countries have it and manage fine.
I would have hated being made to wear trousers at school. It’s very rare a pair fits me properly with having very wide hips.

You have completely missed the point and extrapolated a load of rubbish I neither said nor meant.