Skirts-only girls school unifrom

[namelessposter]

My DD age 5 goes to an independent school with a 'skirts-only' uniform policy for girls. As a feminist, this raises my hackles, but I have said nothing as I've had other battles to fight, and wanted her to settle into the school (she's in Reception) before being 'that parent'. Generally the school is very pro active, achieving grls and I have no prob with the overall ethos - just the dated uniform policy.

She's a really active little girl, and comes home with plenty of scuffs from the playground. All her new tights have holes in them, whicj I keep sewing up.

Three times in the last 10 days she's come home with a skinned-knee - damage enough for big plasters and an accident report. During this time we've realised she has a severe latex allergy and can't use plasters - not even the hypoallergenic ones. So I'm having to send her in with a skirt and socks, to give access to the dressing for it to be changed. I want to bring up with the school:

1: That the girls uniform clearly isn't adequate for them to have active play in the playground, as it is being trashed, and not protecting her from injury whilst she's busy dashing around the playground and
2: that it's ludicrous that whilst injured (which seems to be every other day) she has to wear skirt and socks (i.e mostly bare legs) in sub zero temperatures, when they're outside for at least an hour a day.

I want them to lighten up and give me permission to send her in in standard (boy's uniform) grey trousers, which will slow down the injuries, and give us air-circulation and access to dressings if new ones do happen. It seems a no-brainer to me. But the school is a stickler for convention and I don't think they' be keen. How do you think I should approach it?

There is often,already,a choice between skirt,pinafore,trousers,and shorts though.

Sorry,to clarify that,it was in response to Bathtime re: the point of uniform being lack of choice.
Within the school population there are often several choices already.

I know, you'd think by now we'd be over the bullshit idea that trousers are brilliant becAuse boys wear them, and be asking for boys to wear pinafores, the most practical of school uniform clothing.

I don't think trousers are best because boys wear them. What a strange idea. I think they are best because I could do a kartwheel without showing my pants and getting laughed at by all the boys. Because I could climb a tree without getting caught up on a dress or scratching my legs. For all the same reasons female footballers don;t tend to play in skirts

When I was a teenager I much prefered the extra feeling of safety when I was nervous about periods, that will get you years of abuse if you happen to make a mess on the chair

But by all means if pinafores are acceptable for girls, then yes, let boys (who want to wear them) wear them. But it's got to be the same for everyone or it's discrimination.

I also quite enjoy wearing trousers now and having the option of sitting legs akimbo No more men taking up my space on trains.

Yes, i also think trousers are more practical and ideology has nothing to do with it. Sorry to lower the tone, but I have been assaulted and been glad I was wearing trousers: if I'd been wearing skirts the outcome could have been different. Why on earth do you think the miniskirt repeatedly becomes popular?

"I've never seen an Independant school where girls can wear trousers, though I'm sure there must be some."
good grief we we wearing trousers at our rather lovely girls school back in the 1970s!
I cannot believe we are still fighting this one in the year 2015!

The primary school closest to me has banned skirts/dresses

I have heard of that in recent years too savoy

Sorry, the keyboard disappeared on my ipad!

It's banned dresses for modesty reasons. There was a bit of a hoo-haa about it.

Savoy - that's just as bad as skirts only uniform policies IMO.

Yes, people were furious. My dd was in nursery when the school announced it and it just seemed obscene somehow that those three year olds had to wear shorts and trousers in case some one saw their knickers on the monkey bars.

I have a FB friend who recently posted some photos from her (Dublin) primary school in the 70s - nobody in uniform. I know that school now asks that students wear some navy and white combo of parents' choice. When did uniforms and uniformity become such a thing? Public schools in the US manage to function perfectly well without them, and private schools are no better because of uniforms imo.

My local high school rumbles along just fine with no uniform, but has a school issued plain unisex t-shirt and nylon shorts for PE for everyone. Also school issued speedos and one-piece swimsuits for swimming and swim/water polo. Girls playing lacrosse, hockey, tennis -- all play in skirts, ditto badminton, with some sort of spandex knickers underneath. Nobody passes remarks. The wrestlers wear the tightest of tight spandex and nobody makes remarks there either.

This may be barking up the wrong tree, but I wonder if British people are more obsessed with sightings of knickers than Americans are? I know there is general British horror at the idea of American public loo cubicles with a healthy foot high gap from floor to door and maybe half/three-quarters of a centimetre of space between the sides of the door and the frame; I've seen consternation at the thought that people waiting their turn or washing their hands can see people attending to their business (not possible due to the angles involved) -- but what strikes me is the assumption that people would be interested or would take the time to peer in.

Love it!

Trousers are "more practical" because they stop abuse by boys.

The reality is that in our society trousers are associated with maleness and that is why they are seen as "practical" while skirts, which we consider to be for girls, are just silly clothes you can't do anything in. Funny how they don't feel that way in cultures where men manage to do all their important manly things in dresses and skirts.

You are significantly less restricted physically in skirts or pinafores than you are in uniform-style trousers.

You can do any amount of cartwheeling and climbing.

Unless you are afraid because as a girl it is your duty to stop boys seeing your knickers.

School uniforms for primary school children are stupid. If you're going to make a fuss about them make it about something that actually makes a difference and not putting little girls in impractical trousers.

You can do any amount of cartwheeling and climbing.

So just ignore actual girl's feelings? I didn't want boys looking at my pants. You can ignore all kinds of social norms and embarrass actual girls to prove a point but there is real credible evidence that girls give up sport when the feel self conscious. Also I don't know any boys that would willingly show the girls in there class their pants but hey no one expects them too.

Also please show me the cultures where men do sport in dresses instead of shorts and trousers? The highland games, maybe?

"Trousers are "more practical" because they stop abuse by boys"
yes that is right, never had anything shoved up your skirt, or a load of boys jeering at a load o girls weearing tiny skirts?
perhaps you went to a nice girls' school. That is all I can suppose.

They also tend to be warmer - yes you can wear tights, but you know what, I put my kids in tights and trousers when its really cold. And, admittedly depending on the skirt, skirt's fabric is loose and flowing and gets caught on everything. Trousers/ shorts stay with you.

Sadly the 'stopping abuse by boys' is, in our culture, an issue to consider.

Yes I've always thought primary school uniforms particularly are stupid. They became very common in the late 80s, from memory.

How would a girl in any given playground know a boy was looking at her pants unless the boy made it obvious that he was doing so?

Nobody would be embarrassed if boys refrained from passing remarks.

Girls would feel perfectly free in their clothing if playground supervisors punished children who sexually harass others.

Skirts rip; they catch on fences and brances of trees you are climbing; they get caught in bike chains. They are a huge nuisance to an active girl.

I attended a school which insisted on compulsory below the knee regulation kilts (winter) and calf length summer dresses for girls until the fourth form. They were an utter pain, for all of these reasons. I can imagine modesty and sexual harrassment issues being added points against.

I can't comprehend the argument that trousers are only deemed more practical because we associate them with boys at all.

My dds school uniform is a navy blue pleated skort or skirt. No-one chooses the skirt "because people see your knickers when you do a handstand" says my 5 yo. Nothing to do with remarks from boys, they just don't want to show their knickers in public - who does?

Skirts rip

Trousers rip.

My kids have attended a few different schools over the years.

2 of the rural very "outdoorsy" type schools used to have boiler suits for both girls and boys. They would put these on over their clothes with wellies and go out to play and get as muddy as they liked. Mud hasnt been mentioned by the OP i know but they were considered practical play clothes. All the kids had them hung on their pegs and would wear them over their coats in cold weather and without in warmer weather.

Another school used to put infants in jogging bottoms for pay times. Most girls wore them under their skirts. Again these were kept on pegs and quickly slipped on and off at break time.

TBH though, I hate school trousers. Finding any that meet the school criteria and are not made of some vile nylony - lets make everyones fanjo sweat like buggery material - is nigh on impossible. Have you actually seen school trousers for girls? I dread they day we end up living somewhere where trousers are compulsory.

Its funny,my daughters attended several independent schools over the years with skirt only policy and in recent years have has the option to wear trousers to school. Neither want to yet they live in jeans out of school.