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.

[hocuspontas]

Look. We are always arguing that primary school teaching suits girls more than boys. One area where the boys beat the girls hands down is getting changed after PE. If you take away the struggle with pinafores and tights by allowing the girls to wear trousers then it will be the boys who suffer

[PandaG]

Edam - was your kilt brown and flame? - that uniform has changed to jade and navy. Is not the same school, as one of the other posters, but in the same locality.

(of course I could have remembered your previous location wrongly )

[frogwatcher]

My dds school has very strict uniform policy - pinafores until key stage 2 for girls, shorts for boys (can be long shorts meeting socks), then skirts for girls and trousers for boys, all with shirts with buttons and ties. We LOVE it. All my dds think it is great as there is no debate on what to wear. Everybody looks the same and there are no uniform issues at all and nobody looks out of place. It looks smart and is easy - and at a very young age they can button shirts and do ties. I havent heard more than one parent comment on it. My best friend teaches in the midlands in a failing school where the new headmistress has just introduced a similar uniform to this from a pretty relaxed one. My friend reckons they have been amazed how it has changed pupil behaviour, stopping the bickering/bullying over clothes that they used to have etc. We used to go to a school with options on uniform (trousers or skirts in black or grey) and I found dd1 kept changing what she wanted to wear depending on who she was friends with. I LOOOOOVVVVEEE our uniform now - and snuggly tights with skirts is far warmer than trousers (unless you put tights under them!). But obviously we are weird as general consensus on here seems to totally go against what we like!!!

[hullygully]

Mine have to wear skirts. I had a set to with the school about it and they said that trousers looked a little common (all wearing trousers while saying this.)

Tradition. Oh yes, let's bring back combinations and female circumsion because they were traditional too.

But it is a lovely school and the dc are very happy and they begged me to stop arguing about it.

[thedolly]

LGP - Sex, race, disability, sexual orientation and religion or belief are things that could be discriminated against when formulating a school uniform policy/dress code.

There are as I said a number of religions, some branches of Christianity included, that require females to dress modestly.

[LadyGlencoraPalliser]

Can't see where I disagreed with any of that, Dolls. The point, surely, is that by allowing girls to choose to wear trousers if they want to, you are helping to avoid such discrimination.
Similarly, for those posters who say skirts and woolly tights warmer etc, well fine if your DDs like them. MY DDs don't.

[hana]

it's not the point if they can still climb trees or DO stuff in a skirt/pinafore - it's the lack of choice. In 2009.

utterly archaic that a school would set such rules in this day and age. It's a snob factor.

[pointydog]

To op, it is not normal and it is silly. Complain

[thedolly]

It is traditional and as such may well reflect the school's position on many other issues - good old fashioned values - remember those?

1. no throwing chairs
2. no swearing at the teacher
3. no spitting at anyone
4. no setting fire to people/things

etc. etc.

[laweaselmys]

I think lack of ability to play freely is partly a factor - thinking back to the days of cartwheels with your skirt hanging over your ears and your pants out... alright some children don't care, just like some children aren't cold. Others are, and it is impinging on their freedom.

Equally, while there are companies who have a uniform for staff, I have yet to have one that didn't allow me to wear trousers! (In fact it has been highly recommended for both jobs...)

[LadyGlencoraPalliser]

You cannot be serious Dolly.

[BonsoirAnna]

I don't want traditional authoritarian rules on behaviour, any more than I want uniform. I want clothing that is appropriate to the time and place - and behaviour that is appropriate to the time and place. And that is a matter for individual judgement (with some guidance) - which is actually a lot harder to achieve than authoritarianism.

[laweaselmys]

I went to a single sex indepedent private school with three different types of uniform (including shorts, blazers, these silly cap things just william wore etc)

The uniform failed to stop a chair being thrown through a window at a teacher outside... plus loads of other crap from ALL of the kids. If you are looking to uniform for an indication of pupil behavior you are sorely mistaken.

[thedolly]

You're quite right laweaselmys - my point exactly.

You cannot draw meaningful conclusions about the inner workings of a school from the uniform.

[pointydog]

since when did 'traditional' mean sensible and respectful?

[BonsoirAnna]

"You cannot draw meaningful conclusions about the inner workings of a school from the uniform."

No - but you should not ignore the warning signs that the uniform policy provides!

[pointydog]

you can draw conclusions about how a school views girls and how it views dressign appropriately from its uniform

[risingstar]

my dd1 is now 14. they introduced trousers for girls in her lower school when she was 6 and she was one of the first to wear them.

in my experience, given the choice- little girls wear pinnies and skirts, older ones from about year 3 wear trousers.

i really think it is outdated not to let girls wear trousers.

[Fayrazzled]

The state primary my son will attend does not allow trousers for girls. It doesn't bother me to be honest; I'd much rather my daughter wear pinafores and then skirts with tights when she it's her turn to attend, than trousers. For me it's a smartness issue- it's much more difficult to look smart in trousers than skirts I think for the simple reason that it's difficult to get trousers that are really well cut for women (and older girls)- I appreciate that it's not quite the same for littlies. It's a generalisation, and I know my POV won't be popular, but I think women tend to look smarter and more professional in skirt suits rather than trouser suits at work. Sooooo many trousers just don't fit women that well and some of the girls at the local comp look dreadful in their trews.

I had to wear a pinafore, then skirt for school and I never felt it inhibited me or stopped me playing in any way compared to the boys.

[laweaselmys]

You can't draw conclusions about pupil behaviour you can draw conclusions about the schools attitude...

[MadBadandDangerousToKnow]

Information on school uniforms from the Direct Gov website. I can't think of any primary school around here which doesn't allow girls to wear trousers. In part, maybe, this is because we are a very diverse area and many girls want/need to wear trousers for cultural reasons.

If you don't like the school's uniform policy, lobby the governing body!

[hana]

but surely it's what your daughter is comfortable in as well? why impose what you feel is comfortable onto them?

I have a dd in year 2 and she doesn't like trousers - is ALWAYS in a skirt or dress for school but she has the choice.

I have another one about to start school and she prefers trousers, and is comfortable in them.

it's not about being inhibited or equality of play , it's having the choice!

[Ceolas]

Hana, you said "it's not the point if they can still climb trees or DO stuff in a skirt/pinafore - it's the lack of choice. In 2009"

Any school uniform takes away choice. If we're going to impose uniform, we have to accept the lack of choice, imo.