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.

My dc school is strictly fair.

Boys and girls can wear tailored navy uniform trousers. Girls can also wear a plain navy skirt (primary)

Same at secondary though it's black, not navy.

At both the primary and secondaryschool (a very specialist language state school) girls can also wear a kilted skirt and boys can wear a kilt.

Works well!!

The biggest problem is with private schools - they all seem to require skirts or dresses. Apparently some of them even forbid sun hats, however hot the weather. I've noticed that lots of private school children, who do masses of sport in skimpy clothes (especially the girls), are covered in moles, which means a high risk of skin cancer when they're older.

Ha that's because many private schools seem to like to have very old fashioned expensive uniforms. Look disciplined and parents are led to believe this means all is better than elsewhere. They are definately some of the worst in my experience. Compulsory light coloured summer dresses in special fabrics, logo only blouses and yes not a trouser in sight etc

It's a snob thing and the schools know it - private school parents want their children to look as though they're at private school.
They must get an extra privilege kick out of the Eton uniform, for instance.

Yes I guess Asda or Tesco gear wouldn't look quite the same. There is a very mixed message for girls in there. Pay for the finest 'girls' education but don't allow them to wear trousers ?

Actually I agree that school uniform trousers look not nice and not comfy. As do grey teflon skirts with scratchy waists.

I loved our no-uniform school.

Do boys have the right to wear a skirt to school? Its not fair that at my son's school girls can choose whether they wear a skirt or trousers, but skirts are not on the boys' uniform list. Incidently this is a non problem as my son has no desire to wear a skirt.

I think that worrying that your duaghter has to wear a skirt to school is a First world problem. Discrimination is when a child is denied an education.

I can't believe there are still schools out there that do this. You have to wonder if they're teaching them how to create fire and make wheels from wood.

Reallytired it is a 1st world issue but still an important one. I want my DD to feel empowered to make informed decisions, not told 'to shut up and put up' because she's a girl.
Wigan - that makes me smile lots

bucketofbathtoys my son does not have the right to wear a skirt or a dress to school. He wouldn't even consider it because the teasing would be unbelievable.

What about boys having the right to choose their clothes. Do boys have to put up and shut up for fear of homophobic bullying?

Haha Swannery that's hilarious! Private school girls all getting skin cancer cos they have to wear skirts and do sports!

ReallyTired a poster upthread mentioned that at her school boys were allowed to wear kilts...

Really, it's a spurious argument though. In the real world, men tend to wear trousers - they are a standard form of dress. The crucial bit is that in the real world this is also the case for women. True - men have fewer options because in reality the conventions dictate their options. However, that is no reason why schools should be allowed to reduce the options available to girls above and beyond what is social convention.

I would have no problem at all with boys having the right to wear a skirt or dress to school.

I think its ridiculous and would question the discrimination of the cold etc but also the buying of tights and skirts etc.

its gender discrimination

swannery/argy- my children are all at fee-paying schools. The schools have their own sunhats as part of the uniform (legionnaires caps) and they are required to bring suncream each day, and come in the morning with it already on if it's sunny. They're really strict about the children wearing their caps each time they're outside too, even the little ones who have in/out classrooms, so spend huge amounts of the day outside.

Argy - laugh as much as you like. If you know anything about skin cancer, you'll know that there are more and more cases of it every year. Having lots of moles indicates that you are at high risk (moles tend to be caused by sun exposure, and young children are at highest risk of being damaged by exposure to the sun). It's a fact that some/many private schools do a lot of sport - our local public school does sport 6 days a week, some of it (eg tennis) on tarmac which reflects the sun and so is more dangerous. The sports kit for girls is sleeveless tshirts and very short skirts. They don't wear sun hats either. Not rocket science that they are at greater risk of skin cancer. In fact wearing sleeveless tshirts, being outside in the middle of the day, and not wearing sun-hats is all contrary to government recommendations to state schools.
Our local uni is largely populated by private school kids. You wouldn't believe how many of them have faces covered in moles. Completely different from their parents' generation, who tend to be more or less mole free.

At my DCs school the boys should wear grey trousers, the girls black trousers. No idea why. I don't let my very non "girly" DD wear trousers to school, even though she'd love to as I think they look awful. She wears culottes.

Lynette do you not let her wear trousers at home? I think tailored trousers look really smart and can't see why you wouldn't allow it when her friends are allowed to etc??

I don't let my very non "girly" DD wear trousers to school, even though she'd love to as I think they look awful.^

Really?

You're going to have soooo much fun during the teenage years. Do you wear trousers? I hope not.

DD only wears trousers at home!

But she looks really awful in school trousers - and they just don't go with Startright Mary-Janes, IMO. (I did buy her a pair once, which is how I know)

I am under no illusion that she will wear trousers to school every day at high school - but I hope think they won't look so bad with a nasty nylon blazer.

I never wear trousers which look anything like school trousers, that's for sure!

Again this obsession with how children look! Your DD isn't a dressing up doll, she is a child. You say yourself that she would love to wear trousers to school - can't you see how utterly dysfunctional your attitude is? School clothes should be functional, comfortable, hard-wearing and practical, how they look is a secondary consideration. It says a lot about you as a parent that you take no notice of your DD's preferences.

I wouldn't say I take no notice of DDs preferences.

What isn't functional, comfortable, hard wearing and practical about a pair of culottes and sensible shoes?

While I'm buying her primary school uniform it won't be a pair of awful (IMO) trousers and slip on shoes which she seems to covert.

We all have our pet hates and school trousers just happen to be mine, which is why I cant get worked up over girls not being allowed to wear school trousers.

This is stupid - that's the uniform, your daughter is 4...get over it.

My DD has a button phobia, she manages to wear a proper button shirt, a button cardigan & for pe a button polo shirt.

It's about conforming & when she sees the other girls in their uniform, she'll be the same.