Do many schools make girls wear skirts nowadays??

[funnypeculiar]

Was browsing through our local state primary school's prospectus - they state that girls must wear skirts or pinafores - and trousers ONLY in extremely cold weather. Strikes me as a bit 'last century darling' ... and makes me a little nervous of their attitudes ... Is this not pretty usual nowadays??

That is the one good aspect of the shorts-all-year thing - DS has constantly scabby knees, but, as my mother used to tell me, "you mend for free - your clothes don't!" also it is not so obvious when they are growing out of shorts

My 2 dd's always wear trousers as I thing they are generally more practical especially for dd2 who is in reception, easier to get on and off for PE and easier when she waits until the very last minute to go to the toilet, hers have an elasticated waist. DD1 (yr2) prefers trousers as she is worried she will show her knickers when she is on the climbing frame.

My dd is due to start school this August - I was thinking of just letting her wear her brother's cast off school trousers (may also buy her a school dress for summer) - am I cruel?

Interesting to see where people stand on this one. I suspect I would probably put dd in both skirts & trews ideally ... but I object to the fact that I don't have the option of putting her in trews - more from a principal point of view than from a clearly defined practical reason (although can clearly remember having my own underwear colour announced to all at primary school )
Right will raise it with the head when we look round... and think about PTA mutiny in the future
And yes custardo, it wouldn't be a reason not to go to the school per se ... but makes me about how stick-in-the-mud their teaching might be...

sorry think no trousers= stick in the mud teaching is a bit mad

if its state they all do the national curric anyway

DD1 goes to a school that doesn't allow trousers. Fab school, very progressive... teaches Mandarin as standard. So what about skirts (personal opinion haven't read thread.. but wouldn't change my mind anyhoo).

Girls look gorgeous and DD1 wears thick tights in the winter and has never complained. I think she looks gorgeous, as do the rest of them!

"if its state they all do the national curric anyway"

gosh, you make it sound like teaching by stepford wives. What a dull picture that would be.

The primary school my DDs go to allows trousers in the winter (after Oct half term). I think they look awful. Girls school trousers are so cheap and shiny looking. Pinafore, thick tights and longis coat or jacket it plenty warm imo.

Luckily neither of them have asked for trousers yet!

We have M&S tights but they still come home with holes in after falls!

same here. works out so expensive.. i like pinafores personally but most 9 year old girls seem to wear trosers, i like those too anyway {

m&s do a very smart pair of non-cheap-and-shiny-looking girls trousers that aren't bootcut. Where do you shop?

Although I'm quite partial to the shiny look myself.

I shop at M&S too. Plenty of tights with holes in our house

Scotlou - my middle child (female) wears her brother's cast offs by choice. They are M&S, dark grey and look really smart. She wouldn't be seen dead in shiny polyester bootlegs. So no, not cruel unless you have a daughter who favours the pink sparkly type of clothes!

My dd1 is in reception and it's up to them (or us) to choose skirts or trousers. Dd1 is 4 and still struggles a bit with tights, so usually she has skirts and tights on non-p.e. days and trousers and socks when she needs to change.

Def. think trs more practical and they do look v. smart esp. as she wears a gorgeous beret (not uniform - Monsoon!) - just looks so chic.

I would think a school that objects to trs on girls would have a very out-of-date view of girls in general - we had a no-trs rule at my comp. and it was riddled with sexism.

lol @ monsoon

Dd has to wear a pinafore for school, not that I would put her in trousers anyway as I think skirts and pinafores look so much nicer.

She wears thick grey tights in the coldweather, I defintely think they are warmer than trousers.

I think it is sexist and impracticle, assemblies with rows of little girls sitting crosslegged with knickers on show isn't fair and makes parents sitting facing them rather uncomfortable. Along with all the other times girls have to sit on the floor or are palying outside. Just seems so old fashioned to me now.

I can see not resons to not allow girls to wear smart trousers. Rather see senoir girls in smart boot cut trousers than the skirts that are far too short.

When dd was in reception I put her in trousers as she's so flipping dim I thought she wouldn't pull a skirt up when going to the loo . Was worried about her weeing on it.

Well now a year on and I can't get her in a skirt. The only girl in school who wears trousers! Nobody's ever said anythng to me though.

my sister is 12 and will scream bloody murder if you even suggest she wears askirt to school

Enid - there's national curriculum, and then there's national curriculum, iykwim (writes the daughter of a primary teacher & a lecturer in child psychology specialising in schools...) - and no I do think there can be a link between uniform attitudes & school approaches - although more so in state than private schools, where uniform stuff tends to be a bit madder (often in a nice way

Its not a warmer thing, for me, or even a which looks better thing (agre that a lot of girls school trews look shocking). Its 1. the idea that girls HAVE to wear skirts, regardless of child/parent preferences (I wonder how they react to a child who for religous reasons doesn't want to show their legs? DO they have to be the 'wierdo' who wears trew?)

1. the limits this puts on girls activity - cf hanging upside down on the climbing frame with your knickers on display, or srawling around, or all the other things that a tomboy primary school child should be able to do....

I think these do suggest something I'm not toally comfortable with in a primary shcool - will set up another viewing appt and give the head some stick, methinks

Nearly three - am resolved to change the unifrom to compulsory Monsoon berets instead

dd has to wear a skirt, no problem in my eyes. I actually think it is very good idea to enforce a uniform policy, teaches children that sometimes the rules are there and just have to be stuck too. I speak as someone who is having a terrible time enforcing a uniform policy at work.

Yes, but they should be rules that make sense and can be respected for having a sensible reason behind them - not just a mad dictatorial requirement. Still can't think of one reason for making girls wear skirts at school. And for that reason I believe that all state schools will not enforce it - so if one is, then it is a rogue!

I didn't think uniform is legally enforceable at primary school? Its not enforceable at ours anyway - 2 kids come in their own clothes and the school told another mum that there is nothing they can do.

They send letters to all kids every now and then saying, even though uniform is not enforceable, blah,blah - please only jumpers, not hoodies. Try and have black shoes or trainers, etc.

State schools are not allowed to say that girls must wear skirts - it has to be non gender specific i.e. Blue skirts or trousers. It is an equal opportunites thing, just like they can't say boys are not allowed to wear skirts.

hurrah!