Girls not allowed to wear trousers

[threelittlerapscallions]

DD (5) is going in to year 1 next week and girls not allowed to wear trousers at her state primary above foundation stage (so just reception and Nursery allowed). is this normal? I assumed all primaries now allow trousers option for girls.

I will speak to the head but just wondered what other primaries do.

[smellyboot]

What about all the girls who wear trousers for religious reasons as well as skirt hating girls?
Peanut - I have worked all over England and have never seen uniforms like those in Liverpool for girls, other than in S Ireland maybe. I see hoards of knee length A line skirt wearing 12-15 year olds with White knee high socks and sensible shoes. Often in hideous colours. Often knee length kilts.
Definitely a Liverpool thing. Zero make up.

Manchester seems to maintain the tradition of girls rolling up skirts to be as short as possible with ankle socks or sticking to trousers etc Sneaky makeup, shoes that are just about appropriate etc

[threelittlerapscallions]

Ha ha 404 I had better not say but am sure local papers would be interested if the school don't back down!

[404NotFound]

My understanding is that in a mixed school equalities legislation means they have to offer a trousers option for girls. They can only insist on skirts if it's an all-girls' school, as there's then no inequality between girls and boys, iyswim.

Am now curious as to which north London primary this is?

[threelittlerapscallions]

It is a north London primary - all other primaries round here allow trousers apart from one Catholic one. Dds school is Church of England but accepts all faiths and no faith!

Is there anything they can legally do (ie force her to change in school or suspend her) if I just carry on with trousers?

All governors support trousers in fact I am friends with about 3 governors and one told me yesterday to give her a week and she would see what she could do.

[Peanutbutterpussycat]

smellyboot- yes you're right!
Lots of kilt type skirts, long socks ( often with a bow on the side )
I see this at my own girls high school now and think we wouldn't have worn socks like that in the 90's- would have been a laughing stock.

[smellyboot]

I live in Manchester but work in Liverpool and all over merseyside and have done for years. Liverpool uniforms are very old fashioned and traditional in my experience; Lots of Liverpool high schools have girls in knee length skirts and knee high socks. Always looks very 1950s to me! Kilts are common etc. I have never seen high school girls in Manchester in knee length skirts and knee high socks.
Where I live at least 50% of high school girls wear trousers and the alternatives are shortish skirts and tights/ ankle socks

[Peanutbutterpussycat]

I live on the outskirts of Liverpool and have 3 primaries within a mile near here and have never saw a girl wearing trousers. I have been through 7 years of primary with ds and am there again with dd. Our school uniform list for girls says specifically "grey skirt or pinafore "
Could this be a regional thing?
Same with secondary schools here too, girls never wear trousers.

[smellyboot]

I would totally love a headline about a 5yr old being suspended for wearing trousers. So glad our school has a chilled policy of any grey or black trousers, shorts, culottes, skirts etc. No one care and the kids wear what suits them. End of story.

[GoldFishFingerz]

I would keep mine in trousers regardless of the rules. Nothing will come of it and the head really should choose make the change a speedy process. The shit would hit the fan if they suspended a 5 year old for trouser wearing.

[SenecaFalls]

Good luck, OP. What a ridiculous and sexist rule.

[Flumpsnlumpsnstuff]

My dm sent me to school in trouser when I was 9, the headteacher called her into school to say this was not acceptable, Dm looked at the head teacher and stated if teachers were allowed to wear trousers to school the children should be and also if they had any idea how much tights cost that I destroyed weekly ? I wore trousers for the rest of primary and it caught on quick.
As a side note boys also weren't allowed long trouser until year 4 at the same school and my mum said the day the teachers came to school in winter wearing shorts or skirts without tights was the day she would send him to school in winter wearing shorts !
He wore long trousers every winter after that

[threelittlerapscallions]

I think the governors are OK as I know a few of them who are all in favour of trousers. In fact I mentioned it to one of them today (a parent governor) and she said she would speak to the head as it was ridiculous.

[Bogburglar75]

I am a primary school governor. We had to approve it when the school wanted to introduce a uniform, but on this matter my view would be:

1. this is a minor amendment to uniform policy. As such the Head can get on with it and doesn't need to consult the Governors
   
   
2. quick email round the GB. Proposing to allow trousers for girls, any idiot wishing to raise an objection? No? Sorted.
   
   
3. meetings of the full GB every six weeks normally. five minute agenda item. Job done.
   
   If your Head can't do one of the above and in the worst case scenario have it licked by half term, then you have some very strange governors. I'd push back a bit.

[FiveGoMadInDorset]

I had this issue with DD who has categorically refused to wear dress/skirt since she was 2, although her school allowed trousers she wasn't allowed to wear shorts in the summer, luckily my brother was on board of governors at the time, and told them that they needed to.

[Lweji]

I'm frankly surprised that it's legal for schools to impose skirts on girls.

Is it the 50s again?

[hels71]

The school DDS friend goes to had no trousers for girls..and they have just changed to uniform for girls to a tartan skirt that has to be got from one supplier..not even allowed pinafores or plain skirts. The boys however can still buy cheap supermarket trousers..They got parents views before changing it, ignored the fact that many parents only had boys so it made no difference to them, ignored the fact that many girls parents were against it and changed it anyway.

[confuugled1]

Hmm. the infant school that the dc went to had a governors board that could sometimes be real stick in the muds. Girls were allowed to wear trousers but there were other things that seemed completely obvious and yet they didn't allow them, even though the head was in favour.

Do you know how often the school board meets? And how long it will take for trousers to be on the agenda? By the end of the school year doesn't sound like someone who is in a hurry to get the rules changed... They could have said they would sort it at the next meeting or by Christmas... I could see that they might want girls to wear uniform trousers rather than tracksuit bottom or leggings styles, assuming that the boys have to wear smarter school uniform trousers now too, which would be fair enough.

And if the local shops are anything like the ones here, they've already got rid of all the back to school stuff, and are very low on lots of sizes of school uniform... I'd just say on Monday that you weren't able to find any skirts to fit your dd in her size but that you'll get them when the shop gets them back in stock, but that hopefully it will all be sorted by then any way... and then hope that it is. or at least forgotten about or overlooked! And then just go to a shop that conveniently hasn't got uniform in your dd's size when you go or that you haven't searched hard enough to find!

[Bitlost]

So old fashioned. I despair.

[Shurelyshomemistake]

steppemum Equality Act 2010 applies to maintained, academy and even fee-paying schools. School Admissions Code applies directly to maintained (council) schools and to academies through funding agreement with govt.

[smellyboot]

Loads of ours wear cullotes or shirts too. Totally mad really in this day and age that there make such a fuss over trousers

[threelittlerapscallions]

Well he said leave it till next week as I haven't got her a skirt so may just 'forget' on Monday! Will see.

[sirfredfredgeorge]

threelittlerapscallions A five year old cannot be punished or excluded for the uniform choices, so what would the head do?

I'd carry on with trousers.

[threelittlerapscallions]

Head said today that DD not allowed to wear trousers until he has rule changed and governors agreed. Says has no probs with girls in trousers but DD can't be exception till rule changed. So hopefully by end of school year! I know I could make huge fuss but otherwise I love the school and even have a part time job there so I don't really want to make a fuss. Going to get her a skort (skirt with shorts underneath).

[threelittlerapscallions]

Too right smelly! Tights so annoying for kids. I have a younger DD who is into all things girly and wears the summer dress and frilly socks to her school nursery!