Girls not allowed to wear trousers to school? I thought we were in the 21st century?

[TheYearOfTheCatMPADist]

My DD is due to start primary school in September. I have been reading through the school's info pack, and I am really surprised (and hacked off) that the school specifies for winter school uniform, girls must wear a skirt & tights, and not trousers.

Is this normal? It seems so unnecessary. I can't really put into words how I feel, as it is pretty late, but it seems to be reinforcing gender stereotypes.

I am considering raising the issue with the head teacher, but would appreciate any views.

Oddly enough, I was reading a news story the other day about a school who were considering making trousers compulsary and banning skirts!

no trousers?
that is unusual

Wow very unusual and I thought they couldn't stop them wearing trousers now. If it was my dd1's school she just wouldn't go, she refuses to wear skirts or dresses in ay shape or form. She's the only girl in the whole school who goes in in trousers and a polo shirt on a hot summers day. All the other girls are wearing summer dresses.

I would definately take it up with head.

It just seems so wrong to foist such a visible division on children.

A good friend is in the police, and up until 10 years ago, she had to wear skirts and tan coloured tights, even in the depths of winter. It made chasing criminals pretty difficult, and was just yet another stupid rule which helped to reinforce assumptions that women weren't as good as their male counter-parts.

Oh too late for me - off to bed, because I can't think straight.

I am also pretty surprised, because my DD has been attending the nursery unit attached to the school, and all the children there were jogging bottoms - I never for a moment thought it would be any different at 'big school'.

Now I'm really going to bed.

There is one primary school in our town that does this. If I were a parent I would definitely raise the issue. My DDs always wear trousers to school, much more practical IMO.

Is it an independent school, OP? Because this is perfectly standard IME for independent schools.

Is it really, Quatt? Blimey!

Even our (independent) school that is totally anal about uniform allows girls to wear trousers if they want, in reality very few of them do though.

Ours don't even let the boys wear trousers! They have to wear shorts all year round. Poor DS has very cold knees in winter.

How old do they have to be before they get to wear long trousers?

11. DS is 9. Only another two years of chilly knees to go ...

Goodness. What is it for? Is it a class diffrentiation thing? We hold to our quaint old customs because it was men in shorts with sunburnt knees wot built the empire?

Our local independent school doesn't allow trousers for girls. Very strict uniform: a specific winter pinafore dress, with a specific blouse and cardigan, all from the local suppliers.

Yes, they look very smart. But you do have to ask whose benefit it's all for.

Just one reason why DD doesn't go there!

I could not contemplate sending my children to a school that enforced skirts upon girls in all weathers, or shorts upon boys.

What other out-of-date, authoritarian practices would be hidden behind the scenes at a school that imposed such a visible indication of its failure to move with the times?

Don't sit on the fence there Anna (as ever). DS's (independent) school has both skirts for girls and year-round shorts for boys (up to 8). It's not hiding anything particularly out-of-date or authoritarian that I have found in 3 years.

If it is a state community school, they cannot enforce uniform, which i guess would give you the option of simply sending her in trousers.
Depends on how comfortable you feel with sticking out like sore thumb.

but maybe other parents would quickl fllow suit!

It was the same in DS's last school, girls and boys had different uniforms (summer dress vs bermudas, skirts and tightsvs trousers, and so on).

One summer dress was more expensive than 3 full sets of boy's unfiorms.

But people still thought the girls looked beautiful in them

that people filter schools on the basis of whether or not girls can wear trousers.

Have you never heard of 'tradition' or is that a bad word now too?

Schools have been know to filter pupils through uniform expense

Tradition is a bad word in my educational book, yes!

Bad word? Well, tradition purely for tradition's sake is not top of my list of values to teach my children.
And I have three DDs who prefer to wear trousers to school in winter for reasons of practicality, warmth and comfort then I would discount a school which was so inflexible as to refuse them that option.

Am convinced that if this is a state school, they haven't a leg to stand on. Even the prissiest fussiest state primaries round here have had to acknowledge that they cannot stop girls from wearing trousers.

DD would burst into shameful flames if I put her in trousers, but at least 3 or 4 girls in each class wear trousers.

Totally agree with Anna.

'Tradition for tradition's sake' yes that's it LGP, you've got it - nothing sinister, just the way we've always done it.

A school that chooses to hold on to the tradition of it's uniform is automatically not embracing modern thinking re: best practice in education - is that it?