Uniforn - no trousers for girls?

[Letclothesbeclothes]

Do you know of any schools that still don't allow girls to wear trousers? Going on air tomorrow and Saturday to discuss - and I want to reel off some names!!

Are you including private schools?

You might want to ask on the primary/ secondary education board too.

And, just a thought in case it comes up, it might be interesting to know if there are many now which only allow trousers?

My daughters' primary school started allowing them the year before last as part of a gender inclusive push where anyone can where any combination of uniform regardless of sex.

I'm very glad that it is finally allowed but sad that the girls who had been asking for years and years to be able to wear trousers to keep them warm in the winter and to be able to fully use the playground equipment, do handstands etc. without displaying their knickers were not listened to for so long.

*where anyone can wear

@334bu

Are you including private schools?

No, just state-funded schools

@ErrolTheDragon

You might want to ask on the primary/ secondary education board too.

And, just a thought in case it comes up, it might be interesting to know if there are many now which only allow trousers?

There were reports in 2017 that 80 state schools had gone gender-neutral, with 40 banning skirts. Not a fan of skirt bans.

@jellyfrizz

My daughters' primary school started allowing them the year before last as part of a gender inclusive push where anyone can where any combination of uniform regardless of sex.

I'm very glad that it is finally allowed but sad that the girls who had been asking for years and years to be able to wear trousers to keep them warm in the winter and to be able to fully use the playground equipment, do handstands etc. without displaying their knickers were not listened to for so long.

Things are definitely changing!

Bacon's College in Rotherhith. Its a state secondary school run by ARC.

There were reports in 2017 that 80 state schools had gone gender-neutral, with 40 banning skirts. Not a fan of skirt bans.

So... not 'gender neutral', more like 'male default'. Yeah, not a fan either vs choice, that's why I raised this.

Thanks for your work on this!

@ErrolTheDragon

There were reports in 2017 that 80 state schools had gone gender-neutral, with 40 banning skirts. Not a fan of skirt bans.

So... not 'gender neutral', more like 'male default'. Yeah, not a fan either vs choice, that's why I raised this.

Thanks for your work on this!

Thanks! I've used "gender-neutral" in our report to the government, but only provided there is a choice of uniform, i.e they TREAT all uniform as if gender neutral? Its a word with traction... I figured "unisex" wouldn't be much better...

@dyslek

Bacon's College in Rotherhith. Its a state secondary school run by ARC.

that is really useful! Thank you.

To find the uniform, you have to download a leaflet from the supplier - and its laid out:

School uniform
then
"Girls Uniform"

!?!

The girls kept asking too. Always told 'maybe, in a year or so'

To be fair, its also a very good school.

I asked our primary headteacher to change the rules so girls could wear smart shorts in the summer. Was prepared to argue it. 2 weeks later a new uniform list was issued. On there shorts for girls. Success!

Thanks Letclothesbeclothes for giving me the confidence to ask and be prepared to push it.

@GrrrlPwr

I asked our primary headteacher to change the rules so girls could wear smart shorts in the summer. Was prepared to argue it. 2 weeks later a new uniform list was issued. On there shorts for girls. Success!

Thanks Letclothesbeclothes for giving me the confidence to ask and be prepared to push it.

Oh thats fantastic!!! Well done you!

Funny thing is my DD doesn't want to wear the shorts, but at least she has a choice. There is a girl in her year that refuses point blank to wear dresses and skirts, so she's benefitting from the change.

You look around at the female teachers and mothers at drop off- mostly wearing trousers. Skirts only rule is absolutely ridiculous.

Sounds good OP!

Personally I think that gender shouldn't even come in to it - I don't really like the term 'gender neutral' because it reinforces the position that other things are not gender neutral, and gender is a load of old bollocks.

There should simply be a list of accessible choices and students can decide which of those items they wear.

At my kids' (secondary) school the girls ARE allowed to wear trousers in theory, but only the official school trousers, which cost £25 and are unbelievably hideous. The uniform supplier doesn't even keep them in stock as noone buys them. I've literally only once seen a pair. It's quite sneaky, as they can say that the girls are allowed to wear trousers but 'noone chooses to'. The boys can, of course, wear any style of trousers in the right colour, from any supplier they like.

They have recently stopped enforcing the 'only the right trousers' rule - dd went to school in plain trousers a few times, and only got compliments and people saying, 'Those look smart. Are you allowed to wear them?' But of course parents aren't buying trousers because they think they're not allowed.

The girls uniform and boys' uniform are even different COLOURS because... those are the colours the uniforms were when the girls and boys schools combined... FIFTY YEARS AGO.

It means you the only thing you can hand down between a boy and a girl is the tie.

Apart from the stupid trouser rule, it's clearly discriminatory because the boys can wear any trousers in the right colour and the girls have to wear the official school skirt, meaning the girls uniform is considerably more expensive. I've held back from making a fuss about it on the basis that the school has had enough to deal with this year. But dd says that 'Gender neutral school uniform please - we'd like to just pick from a list of items' is requested at every school council meeting and just gets ignored.

At my kids' (secondary) school the girls ARE allowed to wear trousers in theory, but only the official school trousers, which cost £25 and are unbelievably hideous. The uniform supplier doesn't even keep them in stock as noone buys them. I've literally only once seen a pair. It's quite sneaky, as they can say that the girls are allowed to wear trousers but 'noone chooses to'. The boys can, of course, wear any style of trousers in the right colour, from any supplier they like.
Surely that sort of policy wouldn't stand up against the Equality Act?

Absolutely not, it's directly discriminatory - it costs me far more to kit out dd than my ds. But as I say, I'm biding my time to make a fuss as this year's been such a nightmare for schools, and I think the teachers have mostly done an amazing job.

I will though, I will.

@cheeseismydownfall

Sounds good OP!

Personally I think that gender shouldn't even come in to it - I don't really like the term 'gender neutral' because it reinforces the position that other things are not gender neutral, and gender is a load of old bollocks.

There should simply be a list of accessible choices and students can decide which of those items they wear.

Yes. Why do some schools make it difficult when it could be quite easy?

incidently, dd wears "boys" trousers. (the asda definition of them) as they have pockets, are more comfortable and are cheaper and available at a supermarket.

Just today our secondary school banned skirts. But about an hour after the email going out they had back tracked. They claimed banning skirts was to make it more inclusive for all pupils, but as said upthread gender neutral actually means the human default - male! Which makes it very sexist.

My son is just starting primary school and the handbook states girls uniform is skirts and jumper or polo shirt or summer dress. Boys is trousers with jumper or polo or shorts with jumper or polo shirt. He has been at the nursery this year and I haven't seen any girls in any year group wear trousers or shorts except when they have had to go to school in PE kit. It's not listed in the joining handbook as an option for girls but I don't know if the school would send a girl home for wearing trousers or shorts. Some of them wear lycra shorts under their skirts or dresses, I know this from seeing them doing cartwheels and handstands in the playground.