Do all private schools require girls to wear skirts/dresses?

[mumofCR]

Hi, I'm thinking of sending my daugher to a local private school - with a pretty heavy heart. And when I went to look at it, during that freezing cold snap, realised that all the girls were wearing skirts. They even have to wear skirts over their gymn leggings! I've been informed that skirts are standard in ALL private schools in the UK. Is this true?

I thought this kind of thing disappeared in the 70s? Can't see the logic of demanding this, especially during cold periods. All that faff with tights which make your legs itch. Let alone the inconvenience when running or undertaking any kind of physical activity. The only benefit is for the boys who can spend infinate amounts of time looking up skirts. Or have a missed some great advantage?

A know a school where they where longish culottes (sp?)
Don't think that's what you meant grin]

My ds wears shorts with long socks all year round. It's not just the girls

There are lots of state schools that only allow skirts for girls too. Ours had to be touching he floor when we knelt (ie below the knee) and non-elasticated waist band, they checked.

PS.. I left secondary school after GCSE's in 2007...

where *wear damnit

Hill House has rust-coloured corduroy knickerbockers for both boys and girls; would that be any better?

I think it would, at least that's equal treatment.

Is there anyone out there that can put forward an explanation of why skirts must be worn by girls, even over track suit bottoms?

Skirts are standard in my dd's secondary school (independent) but not as part of their sports kit - this does seem a little extreme to me. She wears a skort in spring/summer and waterproof leggings in winter.

tradition, private schools are all about tradition and connection to the past, they celebrate stuff like school birthday etc, and it is part of the education the kids receive. this also extends to tradition in ways of talking, and respect, acceptable standards etc.

Here it's really thick kilts and no summer alternative

I can see the reasoning that its traditional, but then girdles and stockings were traditional, and when I was a kid our uniform was what you saw on the St Trinians old films, with box pleats and sashes.

I think what is being said here is that trousers are common, and common means no manners, no respect and not an expensive education. And so part of ensuring that the 'private school brand' is there, is that the children need to look like they're at a private school and so must stand out as distinctive from the common kids. I see. Its brand identity - which can be kilts, culottes or knickerbockers or just skirts. As long as it looks like a private school.

Clearly I'm up against it here. Back to my ask, are there any private schools who feel that safe in their standards and ability to engender respect amongst pupils that they CAN allow girls to wear trousers, if they so choose?

Well- the pre-prep schools in our area require the girls to wear pinafores and the boys to wear shorts.
All weathers.
toughens 'em up y'know.

Some fee-paying schools actually have no uniform

can you name one? Please?

Of course I can- at the risk of outing myself.
Tell me where you live, and I'll see if it's near to you...

Well... okay what about Bedales (and thus Dunannie and Dunhurst)?
(not near me)

Hampton Court House never used to have one. As long as the children wore dark blue or black trousers or skirts it was fine. It may have changed since my friend's daughter left.

No schools private or state hearabouts would/could say no trousers at secondary level due to ethnic mix.

Move to Australia. My dd is one of about five in her year group of 172 who wears a dress. All the others wear shorts or tracksuit bottoms.

The other primary school has banned hurls from wearing dresses in case anyone sees their knickers.

OP - No need to ask what your opinion of private schooling is )o )o

Around here ALL schools, state and private, have a no-trousers rule for girls. A workmate's DS goes to a state primary in SE London and their uniform is St Trinians type pinafore for the girls and shorts for the boys.

If you are going to beat up private schooling it would help if you didn't come across as an idiot with an axe to grind.

Are you sure their PE kit isnt a Gym Skirt? This is very different to "having to wear their skirt over their sports trousers". Usually gym slips with matching knicker type shorts. I went to a state school and we had to wear skirts and gym slips. No trousers for girls allowed.

My school was pretty ethnically diverse and skirts only for girls. You could wear a really long one if you were religious. I also went to an all girls school where headscarves werent allowed.

Oh me too Madame shiny green gym knickers that unless you wore skimpies didn't always cover your own knickers and no skirt was allowed for athletics. Ugh

how are trousers common?

Dolphin in Twyford doesn't have a uniform (well they have a school sweatshirt for sports teams but that's it). Many the state schools locally have a no trouser rule for girls.

OP - I don't think you should send your dd to a private school - you are going to have years of agonising and rebeling against the very thing you (or others) are paying for.
School uniform type trousers or so hideous though! Why would anyone want to wear them?

I think that uniform comes well down the list of requirements. It doesn't really matter anyway. I have DSs but they refuse to wear a coat whatever the weather. I thinking 'keeping warm' is a mother's preoccupation.