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.

And I would happily do away with uniform, fwiw

although loads of boys in my year 6 boys class wear shorts - they look rather cool in them

but that's a different argument ceolas. it's about skirts/trousers here

am happy to have a go at that one.......

maybe!

but parents should know things like this when they first apply for the schools in question. You don't complain once the horse has bolted.
or whatever the expression is

Well no, I don't exactly agree with you there Hana. If you are unhappy with a changeable aspect of a school's policies then as an existing parent you are perfectly within your rights to raise the issue in a sensible way. Otherwise no organisation would every be able to effect change.

ok, fair point and I agree with that LadyGlen.

Choice can't be that important a factor as people are quite prepared to limit their 'choice' of school on the basis of the uniform - it's madness I say, madness.

Yes, as I said, OP should lobby the governors if she thinks the uniform policy should change.

What's madness? I find your posts very confusing, dolly.

It is madness to bang on about choice and the importance of it and then to rule out what may be a perfectly good maybe even excellent school on the basis of the uniform.

Keep up LGP

Dolly - Surely there is a consistency in someone saying that because they don't like a school's uniform [or any other] policy, they will exercise their choice to send their child to a different school?

Edam - different school, but the one you talk of it where DD is most likely to o to at 11y. As PandaG says - it has a new uniform. It appears to involve an extremely short skirt, or rather a skirt that the girls seem to very easily make incredibly short!!!

Many schools, state and private, esp at secondary probably just have the attitude - put up with it or find another school. Especially at an oversubscribed school.

Primary in state sector is different as n uniform can be fully enforced.

But it does amaze me how much uniform creates so much cause for concern amongst some parents on MN.

I agree that if a school is otherwise good it's worth sending your dc and then lobbying tochange the uniform. But a uniform policy that emphasises gender difference is a red flag for parents of DDS and if I had a DD I wouldn't send her to a school that wouldn't allow her to wear what she preferred. Because they probalby wouldn't let her learn science, either.

My (reasonably normal) state primary allows girls has the following rule:
"grey tailored trousers may be work (sic - assume they mean worn) only in extremely cold weather"

I intend to kick up a stink question this once dd starts. It did worry me as indicative of non-progressive attitude when I was looking at schools (for ds) but not enough to make me change my mind about going to the most local school.

SGB - that is definitely NOT my experience of schools with strictr uniforms. The ones that I know of or have worked in with the strictest uniforms were infact the ones were girls could and did do well in subjects such as science. Infact the state secondary I worked in with this rule did seperate sciences and the girls outperformed boys in the subject most years.

DD's prep school does a massively wider ange of subjects, ncluding non gender specific ones and sports are wide ranging too depending on the girls interestes but include Fencing and Judo, as examples.

The girls high school, again skirts only rule, has a wide curriculum including seperate sciences and subjects more traditionally seen as "boys" subjects.

The skirts only policy = girl get treated as incapable is not true in my experience.

That is the kind of myth that I fear may be being perpetuated SGB. Uniform is something over which the School has a degree of choice but implementing the curriculum is not (at least not in the state sector).

Oh come on SGB. They wouldn't let her learn science?

ooh, I'm a bit old fashioned/hypocritical on this one. I wear jeans almost every day myself(except in Summer), yet for some reason hate seeing trousers on schoolgirls?! I know they're the same material as boys ones but to me they just look cheap, in a way they don't on boys for some reason. Used to have enjoy seeing how much I could take my skirt in/up before my mum noticed

I understand all the reasons why they're practical though, and the sexism arguement, so the ideal situation would be to be able to choose trousers or skirt when you buy. I'd still choose the skirt though - my daughter may have other ideas!

i was at (state) junior school in ye olden 70s and our headmistress did not allow skirts. i did wear trousers quite often for a while but she spotted me and alas jeans no more.

i totally agree about the dangers of emphasising gender. someone will probably be along in a sec pointing out that boys are being outperformed. perhaps they should wear skirts.

Blimey Hula, the old kilt thing made it impossible for us to shorten our skirts in my day. Maybe from my current perspective as a mother there were some advantages to it...

Obviously got the wrong end of the stick about school, thought your dd was in the junior school of you-know-where.

at Panda

LOL, Stealthsquiggle (from five pages earlier!)

Even more LOL, SolidGoldBrass, as the idea that skirts = no science. I really don't know where to start rejecting that premise, so silly is it.

Personally, I am delighted that DD doesn't have the option to wear nasty polyester trousers (my own personal hate where school uniform is concerned). Indeed, I would probably avoid schools that allowed girls to wear them . I like boys in shorts, too - as does DS (fortunately, as they're compulsory for him!)

We looked at the junior school there but went for the smaller girls prep school not far away. Most of the girls from DD's school go on to your old school afterwards though. I am sure you would have had girls from DD's school at your school at some point.

I still don't understand WHY a school would want to ban girls from wearing trousers though. OK some posters think they 'don't look smart' but that's surely not sufficient grounds to base a school uniform policy on? If you don't like trousers, then you can stop your own dd wearing them (depending on her age) but why inflict your choices on everyone else? Something is going on here and I suspect it's a bit deeper than 'skirts are smart'.

if it begins with A, definitely!

Edam - your mention of kilts brought back horrid memories, as we had them too. Surely not the same school? (Was there really more than one school that inflicted kilts on the gels?!) The girls now wear outfits that look as if they belong on Home and Away. Does this ring any bells with you?!