Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Style and beauty

Looking for style advice? Chat all about it here. For the latest discounts on fashion and beauty, sign up for Mumsnet Moneysaver emails.

Original poster

What is the MN opinion of COMPULSORY short skirts for senior school uniform????

53 replies

RTKangaMummy · 02/05/2006 20:03

My friend has a daughter about to start senior school in sept and the school uniform is short skirts and flesh coloured tights

The thing is that she is going to be teased dreadfully

She is very well built with chunky legs

{she swims and cycles in biatholons and plays football}

But although she is fit she is also in the conventunal sense fat

Do you think it is fair for schools to have uniforms with short skirts that are compulsory ie that there are not two lengths?

I am totally in agreement that school uniforms are a deffo brill idea and so does her mum

Most of the girls with skinny legs roll the skirts over to make them barely cover their underwear

They are allowed to wear trousers between NOV and FEB

What do you all think?

All the schools round here wear the same style and length skirts

.

OP posts:
SenoraPostrophe · 02/05/2006 20:04

how short is short? are we talking compulsory minis? do they get sent home for having skirts less than 6 in above the knee?

starlover · 02/05/2006 20:04

how short is short?

Angeliz · 02/05/2006 20:04

Absolutely would not agree with short skirts as compulsary!
As you say, fine for most skinny girls who will make them shorter but for the less confident/chubby it would be horrible!

SenoraPostrophe · 02/05/2006 20:05

ha! @ starlover!

snorkle · 02/05/2006 20:06

I thought girls were allowed to wear trousers whatever the time of year, whatever school they went to. Hasn't there been a court case to confirm this?

hulababy · 02/05/2006 20:06

How short?

The high school DD will most likely go to is compulsory skirt (NO trousers at all) and tights/socks. All the girls seem to wear them VERY short on way home from school from what I can tell! I suppose I just see it as the set uniform. We will know the uniform when we will make the definite decision to send her there or not, so accept the rules at that tinme.

busybusybee · 02/05/2006 20:06

I think compulsory lengths for school skirts is worthy of a parp towards the head tbh
What does it matter how long their skirts are???????????

SenoraPostrophe · 02/05/2006 20:09

our school skirts had to be 2 inches below the knee and I was sent home on the first day for having a skirt which was an inch too short. I am still scarred.

starlover · 02/05/2006 20:11

ours had to be no more than 3 inches above the knee.

i think whatever the rules are there are always going to be certain girls who roll theirs up so you can see their pants.

i wouldn't be happy if the compulsory length was really short though

Original poster
RTKangaMummy · 02/05/2006 20:12

Well I would call them mini skirts

Sort of half way between your bottom and knee

In a kilt syle

OP posts:
Blandmum · 02/05/2006 20:13

I'd be amazed if the school insisted on short skirts. They may seem to be insisting (cos the girls want to wear them short) IYSWIM, but I'd be amazed and horrified if that were the case. Have you checked the school rules (directly not word of mouth)?

SenoraPostrophe · 02/05/2006 20:13

but is there a guideline length or is that jujst how they all wear them?

gothicmama · 02/05/2006 20:16

I think it is against sex equality legislation to make girls wear skirts, it would be worth checking

Caligula · 02/05/2006 20:16

Sounds dodgy to me. What if they had muslim pupils?

Most schools want to have a uniform that most people can wear without having to have a special one. Why would they want to have short skirts?

tissy · 02/05/2006 20:17

blimey, that is short!

However if she is that chunky and wears trousers, isn't she equally at risk of being teased for not wearing the uniform, and having a fat bottom? I would ask the head precisely what the uniform code is- suspect that the length that everyone seems to be wearing them at the moment isn't necessarily prescribed by the school.

Original poster
RTKangaMummy · 02/05/2006 20:17

That is the length they come in

Her older bro is already there

It is a comprehensive and the other local schools wear them short

I said to DH that she may be able to make it be a bit longer as she will need a bigger one for her waist so if she gets one for 13/14 years it will work out longer

But it will still be short

OP posts:
hulababy · 02/05/2006 20:19

I am thinking the length is similar to those of the tunics you see on programmes like Home and Away or Neighbours?

Original poster
RTKangaMummy · 02/05/2006 20:20

The muslim ones wear full muslim dress

The long suit - dress and trousers suit and head-dressI can't remember its name Blush

OP posts:
Original poster
RTKangaMummy · 02/05/2006 20:21

Yes sort of like aussie soaps

OP posts:
tissy · 02/05/2006 20:22

salwar kameez? Well, she could wear that, then-unless the rules specify that you have to be muslim to wear itGrin. I think they always look very elegant...

snorkle · 02/05/2006 20:26

If it's a mixed school it's sex discrimination to insist on skirts for girls and not boys. It's also disregarding her right to modesty. Think no trousers outside the winter is ridiculous imo. Perhaps she should wear salwar kameez in summer to make the point.

Original poster
RTKangaMummy · 02/05/2006 20:27

Yes that would be good if she could wear muslim dress

I feel so sorry for her - she is really worrying about it

I had been shocked by how short the skirts were but as I have DS hadn't really thought about it until today when I was talking to her mum

Yes I agree she would probably be teased what ever she wore but this just seems cruel

OP posts:
sixtwosix · 02/05/2006 20:30

trousers trouser and more trousers shold be the way to go.

starlover · 02/05/2006 20:30

kanga.. what is her personality like? has she been bullied before? does she have friends going to the same school?

I personally think that if she is outgoing, friendly and popular then it won't matter too much what she wears.
in the "cool" group in our school there were a few overweight girls... and i think the fact that they could stand up for themselves, were friends with the other girls and were very outgoing meant more than the fact that they were a bit chubby

snorkle · 02/05/2006 20:31

It is rotten - she will stand out whatever she does. Probably best to speak to head about getting rules changed to allow ordinary trousers all year.