School uniform rule - girls not allowed trousers

[Fisharefriendsnotfood]

I'm wondering if I can call on the collective wisdom of you good people to help me construct my argument in the best way.

Dd (5) and yr 1 attends a local R.C primary school that I am more than happy with. She suffers from recurrent thrush and this year I noticed that when she wore tights under her pinafore it seemed to exasperate the problem. I checked the school prospectus for details because I have never seen a girl in trousers at the school and it states that girls must wear a pinafore or skirt as school uniform..

I then emailed the head and explained the issue and asked for clarification on the rules and she said that the last time the issue came before the chair of governors they decided not to introduce trousers as part of the girls uniform. She was very sympathetic and pleasant and said that if I got a doctors letter perhaps she.could allow it.

Now, there is no way dd would wear trousers if no one else was and I also feel that this would high light the issue / invite questions into something that is no one else's business.

So if you are still with me, I want to get the issue raised again with the chair of governors because I cannot think of any valid reason in this day and age why girls should not wear trousers if the want to. I have to speak at a parent voice meeting and if I can muster enough support the issue will be on the agenda of the next governors meeting where I can present my argument.

Where to start? Can anyone offer pointers?

Sorry for the essay

My dds went to a school where they banned skirts as they are impractical for a modern school.

What utter tosh. I have no sympathy with what the OP is trying to do- particularly if this is a private school with a clear uniform policy.

But the hypocrisy in the idea that banning girls wearing skirts as being impractical and thinking that is a good thing is breath taking.

I'm pretty sure it's not a private school, Lass. The OP says its an R.C. primary school and all of her posts (I've been following it for some time and posted several times under a different NN) imply that it is a state school. And I have a lot of sympathy for the OP; it is very sexist for a school to require that girls wear skirts in this day and age when trousers are accepted everywhere as smart attire for women and girls.

I don't think the person who stated that their DDs school banned skirts thought that was a good thing either.

Even if it was a private school does that mean it can't be challenged? IME most schools have "a clear uniform policy". why are private schools exempt from challenging. I would think as you are paying a lot of money for your children to be educated there they should be more accountable and less sexist.

I have no sympathy with what the OP is trying to do- particularly if this is a private school with a clear uniform policy.

Yes, because questioning something about a service you pay for is utterly ridiculous, isn't it?

But then again, if your kids are in a state school there's always the message in the air that "This is the taxpayers' money being spent, and public policy being carried out, and children have to be here by law." We shouldn't expect any extreme forms of behaviour there. But when it's private, they have a duty to describe what they're offering and the customer has the right to accept or reject it. If you don't like the school rules, you can ask the school to change them, but there's no pressure you can put on them (short of an accusation that the children aren't being educated, or are somehow being abused) except to threaten to remove your child.

Boys aren't allowed to wear skirts and I don't see anyone complaining.

Back again, eevoina? Don't you ever get bored?

Did you want to wear a skirt at school but were denied?

Oh, there have been cases of boys campaigning to wear skirts. Google can help you find them.

Having female privilege I had the freedom to wear either "boy" clothes or "girl clothes" without worrying about what others would think.

Of course you did, dear. And therefore I assume you led the skirts for all campaigning in your local area.

Nighty night.

eeovina you might want to start another thread about that as it's so important?

This is like "how dare you donate to an animal charity when there are people starving in Africa", innit?

Oo oo oo. I know it's a bit 'he who must not be named' but I see evidence of one of those could be mythical, under bridge dwelling types.

Agree, GemmeFatale. Sigh.

Men and boys are totally free to campaign for the right to wear skirts (and some have). That's how women and girls managed it.

I think I said way at the beginning of the thread, but when looking at local schools for DS I saw that one school had a strict uniform of skirts for girls and trousers for boys, with the skirt in question being a kilt. Made me giggle a bit.

Certain people clearly haven't looked too hard at the boards, we haven't had a page 3 or bank note thread for a while - Domestic violence, access to abortion though - are those heavy enough issues to pass muster?

Many people are able to care about, and work on, more than one thing at once.

The real question is what are you doing about that issue? What change are you actively working towards?

Many people are able to care about, and work on, several different things at once.

The real question is what are you doing about the issue? What change are you actively trying to make?

Many people are able to care about, and work on, several different things at once.

The real question is what are you doing about the issue? What change are you actively trying to make?

Eevonia - there are many problems for women in the world - I tend to get involved in quite a few, including violence against women home and abroad, page 3 and victorian rules like the OP's school seems to have. If you feel you can only get involved in campaigns of 1 or 2 problems feel free but dont critique women like me and others who can get involved or have opinions about more than 1 or 2.