Should girls be allowed to wear trousers for school uniform? Do yours?

[Legacy]

Prompted by the 'school council' thread - just wanted to get some feedback & thoughts here.

The girls at our infant school have requested to be able to wear smart school trousers as part of uninform, and the parents have been asked their opinion.

I don't see why not, so long as they're proper 'uniform' ones?

Anyone feel strongly opposed to the trousers for girls thing. If so, why? What haven't I considered.

I wear trousers nearly all the time myself, so it would be a bit hypocritical for me to say no!

[iota]

go on MB - you know you want to

[wordgirl]

Here comes the science bit...

[4blue1pink]

I do think they should be allowed but they are imo a toal fashion faux pas!!

Nylon nasties i call tem and i cant imagine why all the girls want to wear them...

I am bribing my daughter by leeting her wear funky shoes if she will wear a skirt at high school. I know other mums that agree ...school trousers need to be locked up by the fashion police... ewwwwwwwwwwwww!

[Enid]

[expatinscotland]

Eewww, horses are stinky.

[katyp]

My dds school doesn't allow them at the moment but I think it is going to be debated by the new school council soon. From an equality/practicality point of view I think they should be allowed but agree with Enid that skirts/pinafores look smarter.

Where your school allows trousers, what happens in summer time? Do the girls still wear the gingham style dresses or do they wear shorts like the boys? All the schools around here seem to stick for dresses for the summer which seems to contradict somewhat the practicality argument...

[iota]

girls wear dresses, skirts or shorts in the summer at ds1's school.

[Blandmum]

OK, heat can leave your body by conduction (partices in you vibrating and passing on their energy to other particles in another solid)....so imagine the heat leaving you as you sit on a cold bench. Solids are good at conduction. Conduction is very difficult in gases, since the particles are too far apart to pass on the vibrations. Heat is transfered in gases by convection.....hot air is less dense than cold and rises up and away from your body.

OK, if you wear cotton tights the air next to your skin gets trapped in the weave and pile. The heat energy can't leave your body by condection (gases don't conduct much remember) and cant convect away as the air is trapped around you. This is how all insulation works. Air gets trapped in feathers, wool etc and can't move away from you.....so it ends up insulation you.

Trousers will be too baggy to trap the air effectivly and so you get colder quicker as the hear leave you by convection.

[iota]

the obvious solution, therefore, is to wear tights under your trousers

[Blandmum]

Spot on! You are a natural scientist and can claim your £5

Layers trap more air and are better insulators. Birds fluff up their feathers to trap air to help to keep themselves warm. Polar bears hair follicles are hollow to trap air to keep them warm!

[iota]

or there's always long-johns

[mumeeee]

Yes and Yes. My daughters are in high school and most of the girls wear trousers. They have to be proper trousers not jeans

[philippat]

\link{http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/2092821.stm\link to Equal Opportunities Commission's view on the matter}

Personally, find tights and skirts both more comfy and warmer but it's not me that has to wear the uniform, it's DD and I fully support her right to choose what is best for her.

[Goodgirl]

Pinafore & skirt brigade - have you asked your children what they would prefer and feel more comfortable in?
Dds' first, middle and senior schools have all allowed trousers for girls but have to be regulation colours. Obviously local retailers know this and stock accordingly.
As for skirts looking smarter, I have visions of greying socks and knobbly, white chapped knees!
I would totally disagree with a non-uniform policy in any school as I think certain standards have to be set.

[Mercy]

I do that with my two when it's really cold - ds included! (tights and trousers I mean)

[Mercy]

And I forgot to add (as I have done so for ages) Martianbishop I wish I had had a science teacher like you and I hope my children will. my dd would love you.

[tegan]

DD1 always wears trousers and it is a struggle to get her in a dress in the summer.

[Blandmum]

mercy you are very kind

[Littlefish]

Of course girls should be allowed to wear trousers if they want to. At my last school, there was not a separate uniform list for boys or girls, there was just one list on which both trousers and skirts, cardigans and sweatshirts appeared.

[Mercy]

MB, I think you will find there are many Mumsnetters who feel the same as me (or I)! How else would we know how to clean our loos with Coca-cola

Keep up the good work!

[gingernut]

If I had a dd I wouldn't send her to a school which didn't allow trousers. Trousers are far more practical and comfortable. Fine if they actually choose to wear skirts. Can't stand wearing skirts and tights myself. I've hardly worn skirts since I left school in fact (we weren't allowed trousers back in the dark ages).

[Mosschops30]

It should be an option anyway. I was teased endelessly as a child for my stick legs and always wished I couldve worn trousers.
dd can wear trousers or skirts/pinifores but she prefers trousers.
What I dont like is kids that wear joggers to school but uniform trousers are still smart

[julienetmum]

I like the fact that dd will not be allowed to wear trousers. I think the infants girls look very cute in their pinafores, though the juniors' skirts are pretty shapeless grey affairs.

The senior school girls generally look very smart in their skirts and the upper school pinstripe ones are particlarly nice.

I hate the wa that girls wear trousers these days on their hips. Dh teaches in schools where most girls wear trousers and he says sometimes he doesn;t know where to look as you can see their thongs above their trousers.

[notasheep]

dd 6yrs sometimes wears them when freezing cold