Girls not allowed to wear trousers

[mummybear701]

My children are going to a new primary as we are relocating (work reasons). I was aghast the uniform said girls can't wear trousers and have queried this, but the response was yes that is the rule. Daughter is not happy as thinks skirts are too girly, not just cold and impractical. She wears a skirt or dress about 3/4 times a year on average for special events only. Leggings aren't allowed either even under skirts. Who would think this still happens in 2014?

I am going to discuss it again with the HT and would like some advice. Our dilemma is the school by all accounts is very good academically and allowing children to develop, so the uniform may be a small price for the 2 years she will have.

Please don't say primaries cant enforce uniform. They can and will one way or the other.

SoonToBeSix, why do you 'hate' seeing girls in trousers?

I'd change schools, if these were my options.

When we were looking at schools, one of our local ones (the one I felt more stuffy and uninspiring than the others) had a uniform policy that just said skirts summer dresses for girls and trousers for boys. No trousers for girls. This put me right off it as my 4 now 5 year old would hate being forced to wear a skirt when her brother and 75% of her mates are boys and can wear trousers. I have to wear trouser in my job as a skirt would be totally impractical. To me it sends all the wrong messages.

She is a very outgoing confident sporty little girl and she did give summer dresses a go this year, but got very upset at boys laughing at seeing her kickers and bottom; they sit cross legged, play on climbing frames etc. It makes her self conscious and she doesn't like it. Dresses are now firmly at the back of her cupboard and I am washing her 2 pairs of shorts constantly.

I just think it doesn't look smart for the school environment.

But boys in trousers do look smart?!

I hope you never wear trousers soon

What trousers are you looking at

Trousers are smart

Even if girls and boys were both wearing similar 'uniform' type trousers in the same colours?

I don't understand.

Soon, are you one of those who sends their 2/3 yr old to nurseries having to faff about trying to lift a dress up and get on the toilet? Or do you have some sense and send them in joggers even though they are a girl.

If I felt so strongly on this issue I'd find another school. Personally I think girls in school uniform trousers look dreadful. But I'm just old fashioned.

Why would you move schools just to be able to exercise a human right to not be discriminated against?

What planet are you people from

So Viviennemary, is it more important that girls look nice than than they're comfortable/warm/able to play as well as the boys?

The Equality and Human Rights Commission says: "It is not unlawful for a school to have rules about the standard of dress of its pupils. There has been no legal case decided by the courts on the question of whether different school uniform regulations for boys and girls would be discriminatory under the Sex Discrimination Act.

A lot depends on what is currently considered to be a ‘conventional form of dress’. Smart trousers are now a widely accepted alternative to skirts for women at work, and trousers have practical advantages for school life.

Because it is quite normal for girls to wear trousers, there is a strong argument that it is unlawful sex discrimination to deny a girl the opportunity to wear smart trousers as an alternative to skirts as part of a uniform code."

I don't think they would say 'a strong argument' without grounds for believing it to be winnable.

Ridiculous, archaic and sexist to not allow trousers for girls - and as for them 'not being smart for the school environment' I thought primary schools were places where girls should feel free to do cartwheels in the playground and go up climbing frames, and crawl all over the playground pretending to be dog or cat ...and any number of other things that might be more comfortable without a skirt flapping round, or with trousers covering your knees.

How "smart" do reception kids look after getting re dressed after PE? And come out covered in paint/glitter/lunch etabd trousers are the issue?

Why do small children have to look smart? I was happy if I could just manage clean.

It doesn't matter why I think it. I don't think those school uniform trousers look particularly comfortable in any case. If you want your child to wear school uniform trousers what is the point of choosing a school that doesn't allow them.

Yeah cos there's really such a choice isn't there

I wouldn't send my DC's to that school. I wouldn't work somewhere that said women shouldn't wear trousers, neither would I expect girls to have skirt forced upon them. Trousers and shorts are more practical.

The fact that polyester school trousers are shit and, according to my DDs, let the wind straight through is another thread.

Everyone knows younger DCs would rather wear tracksuit bottoms and older DCs jeans and a hoodie, but British schools all want to be seen as would be private schools or hacker after the days of the universal 11plus.

Well I think at very least reception should be able to wear black/grey joggers and then polo shirts + supermarket generic school sweat shirts.

Won't happen unfortunately :(

Absolutely Giles Reception girls can't do tights, neither sex can do shirt buttons. Trouser and skirt fasnings are interesting too.

Also a lot of reception DCs grow a lot. Most of the rest of school last years expensive sweat shirts would do as spares at least, but reception ones are out grown totally.

We got a letter home in reception asking us to get our children to practice buttons etc as it was taking them all too long to get changed.

Wtf do you expect when four year olds have to wear proper shirts , ties, tights,

Even zips can be fiddley especially on the m&s pinafores where the zip gets stuck and breaks

I think a no trousers rule would put me off the school...t just seems like such a petty rule that belongs in history....what other stupid rules will your dd encounter?

I don't get the need for young children (or older ones, for that matter) to look smart at school, either. Could someone who cares about it explain the benefit to me?

No idea- something that was supposed to stop a rich/poor divide and save the child's own wardrobe has become a complete impracticality for many kids and parents can barely afford it. What's wrong with a navy blue sweater £4 in asda? Why do we need £14 jumpers with a logo to loose or get nicked

But then I'm a firm believer in practicality over anything else. Which is why my kids attended pre school in joggers and leggins and old stained t shirts.

So they are comfy, can use the loo, and if it gets ruined I don't care