6ft tall 12 year old DD getting skirt length violations

[TooTallDD]

I’m really annoyed about this and I am one who is normally in favour of strict uniform rules.

DD is 12 and at a Catholic school in Australia that supplies uniforms from its own school shop. DD is a 6 ft tall beanpole and wears her correct size which is the second smallest size available. The skirt is pleated and tartan with only a couple of millimetres in hemline. She has just received her second uniform violation as her skirt sits just above the knee when it is meant to be knee length. DD is always in the full correct uniform and never gets into any trouble.

I am thinking of emailing the school and putting it back on them- DD is wearing the correct uniform skirt from the school’s uniform shop, she does not shorten it in any way and if the school has an issue, the school needs to take it up with their uniform supplier and ask them to supply skirts for tall girls or at least add some hemline material that can be let down. (Although the pleats would make this challenging)

Is this a good approach? I’m ropable because in 1992 shy, quiet 6 ft tall me was hauled in front of a school assembly for a skirt length dressing down when I was also wearing the school skirt that had been fully let down. My mum sorted that with a phone call and I want to sort this for DD.

Can tell there are people on this thread that don’t sew or buy regulation uniform. Usually the skirt length is the same whether a 22 or 34” waste - ie the lengths to not increase in proportion to the waist. You also cannot ‘take in’ a pleated skirt easily. Requires a lot of fiddling, recutting and time - so would cost a fortune for a proficient tailor/ess to accomplish.

I'm going to go against the grain and say that i don't think it's up to the school to provide a skirt that is long enough. If you have unusual shaped kids, it's just another part of parenting to be able to source clothes that fit them. The uniform policy states the length of skirt required; it's up to the parents to make sure they adhere to it.
I had to alter a lot of my daughter's clothes, including uniforms.

What is WOULD be demanding though, is for her to absolutely not be punished, while you are sourcing the new skirts. It's not her fault she is tall, and it's not her fault she doesn't have skirts that are long enough. So I would send an email about that. Also write a note to stick in her pocket excusing her for not meeting the uniform policy; she'll need it when teachers start pulling her up in the corridor to tell her off.

go for it OP. This is a school issue & they are being very unfair to your DD

I love reading "ropable" on MN !!!

Clearly me and the other that have reacted to my post. You don't get to dictate who is offended by what.

It's a tired, old, offensive term whether you agree or not.

Don’t be so sure, a friend of mine had issues with her DD wearing uniform trousers, as the school claimed they were too tight on her curves, although they were the only ones that fitted at all!

This is the school at fault lt not you.. your daughter is being made to feel upset and worried about a situation that is not her fault and it's not your fault either... make it clear to them they need to sort out the correct length as there's no way you or your daughter can do what they are asking.

If the school also says that you have to buy these specific skirts from this specific uniform shop then how else can she “source” them? It’s not like it’s a generic grey skirt that can be tracked down in longer length from another shop. Where else is going to sell a pleated tartan skirt in exactly the right school colours?

If the school specify exactly where you have to buy it from, and it’s something that isn’t easily duped elsewhere, then no that’s not on the parents if the length isn’t long enough. It’s right for them to raise it with the school and suppliers, but the ball’s in their court after that.

Alterations. Or contact the supplier for a custom order.

Key points in your complaint.

An apology.
The appology should be to to your daughter and include the same audience she was shamed infront of, and further training for those members of staff who don't understand the implications of their actions.

Then you ask that the school either reviews or rewrites their policy with regards to inclusivity. Their shortsighted understanding of body shapes and sizes ( when managing uniform ordering is not in fact your problem.)

If their uniform is custom made for the school and this doesn't allow coverage of the range of body shapes and sizes present in their intake, and potential intake, then it is not fit for purpose and they need to change their desire to have a certain colour or pattern as this "desire" should not ever be prioritised over the inevitable body shaming that not insubstantial number of students who are outside the width and length combinations available will feel.

As there are many generic designs of items such as skirts which can be fitted into a smart and formal uniform without specialist tailoring and at reasonable cost it brings into question the rather narrow views that have been applied by the school to this subject.

And so on...
( 2 x 6' daughters here, been around this roundabout more than once)

Alterations are more reasonable if it’s a less complex item. A pleated skirt is a pretty horrible thing to try to lengthen sensibly.
Contacting the supplier - yes, same as I suggested.

I forgot.
Sexism.
If this girls school is attached to a boys school ( which seems likely) then they'd better make sure that the boys cant just shop anywhere for trousers other than the stated suppliers and that they only supply the same number of sizes for boys as they do for girls..which is probably 6 ?

Start by talking to the uniform shop.

We had the opposite problem of skirts being far too long. It turned out that the shop could actually sell me all sorts of different sizes that weren't on the website. Obvs you might have tried this already, but if you haven't I'd start there. It's a bit annoying they didn't advertise this anywhere - it is such a natural assumption that they only sell the sizes they put on the website.

This in a nutshell. They want longer lengths then they need to make them available

I agree I have a 6ft broad 13 year old boy I have to source uniform and that often means ordering bespoke

BUT here she fits into the skirt she isn’t rolling up her hem why should the OP do anything else.

it is already hard enough being taller than everyone else (DDs friend is 6ft3 girl)

I would tell the school

It means the same thing here.

Well yes this is clearly nonsensical and ridiculous

Just say you'll go to the press

Or the chief of uniforms association in Australia or whatever

Ridiculous

here (UK) we use the phrase "fit to be tied" which is similar.

Bloody uniform rules making ridiculous issues.
A friend of mine had this with her 5' 10" DD
Firstly shw absolutely refused all punishments/detentions/negative points.
Secondly she had a meeting with the school and asked how they could comply when the uniform didn't fit? My friend told they school they had 3 choices:

1. School source an appropriate skirt as there was nothing available from the school supplier.
2. Her DD could wear trousers which covered the offending knees
3. They stopped being so stupid and got on with educating a child who was in school, willing to learn and had done nothing wrong.

The matter was dropped and her DD was allowed to wear trousers.

It's not concerning at all. Girls reach adult height a lot earlier than boys.

I was 5'11 at 12 and only grew an extra inch by adulthood.

Go back to the school. If a longer skirt isn't available that is not her fault.

I can't believe the school wouldn't make the connection between a girl being 6ft tall and therefore her school skirt is a bit higher, they sound really dumb and insensitive

I think you meant @Owly11 who needs to look at where Australia is on a map. I was the one pointing out that it's rather hot.

In RURAL AUSTRALIA, your idea of generic uniform is not applicable. The rules that apply to you do not apply to OP and her daughter and the opportunity to source a generic version isn’t available.

I think the PP's point was: if this specialist supplier cannot provide tartan pleated skirts in a suitable range of sizes, the school should switch to a smart but generic uniform eg grey skirt or black skirt, so that parents can find a suitable size somewhere.

I complained about this with one of my daughter’s when her school introduced a new skirt. The only one that fitted at the waist was too short. I think we were allowed an alternative style until they could organise slim and long enough skirts. (And she wasn’t that tall).