School brings in trousers only rule for all pupils - schoolgirls said to be in tears ...

[IwantToRetire]

Schoolgirls have been left "in tears" after a controversial new uniform rule was enforced at the start of the school year, with furious parents claiming some pupils were stopped from attending lessons.

The row has erupted after Co-op Academies Trust introduced a trousers-only policy across its secondary schools from September.
Some families have refused to accept the change, with pupils at Co-op Academy Failsworth in Oldham arriving for their first day back on Wednesday wearing skirts.

Parents claim that a number of Year 11 girls were not allowed into class, with other pupils affected when they returned on Thursday.

The policy also applies at Co-op Academy Walkden, Co-op Academy Swinton, Co-op Academy North Manchester, Co-op Academy Manchester and Co-op Academy Belle Vue.

Full article https://www.aol.co.uk/articles/schoolgirls-tears-being-turned-away-100800000.html

1. Not all trousers have belt loops.
2. The rucked up fabric between the belt loops looks and feels awful.
3. The weight of the garment being all on the belt makes the belt cut into the top of my hip curve, which can be anything from uncomfortable to painful.

Pun intended? 😜😂

My sympathies.

It's because:

1. The army boot camp environment in that kind of academy has any child with any kind of learning disability leave or be expelled, which as far as the school are concerned is a feature, not a bug, because learning disabled kids tend to underperform in mainstream settings. Freezing learning disabled kids out removes a cohort of kids who will bring the average GCSE results for the school down. Example of how that works: I got 11 GCSEs A-C whilst spending most my classes literally looking out of the window whilst the teacher was talking. These strict academies consider looking anywhere but the board or the teacher when the teacher is talking to be a punishable offence even though my experience demonstrates that, for some pupils, it can be easier to take in spoken information whilst looking away from the speaker. However, as an autistic person, I am part of a cohort ststistically likely to get worse results, so the school benefits from freezing me and kids like me out as a class. Strict rules allows the school to discriminate against disabled kids without looking obviously like they are doing so. No, autistic kids cannot rely on getting a rules exemption to cope in such a school, especially when the kid may be undiagnosed.
2. There's a correlation between parental poverty and educational attainment, which means that a high-priced strictly-enforced uniform regime prices out the lowest attaining kids.

There are schools without uniforms, granted it’s primary level but it can be conducive to good outcomes.

We’re also used to strict uniform policy at secondary at a very good school.

Idk about no uniform at secondary however.

Ah, Im 5'8 but with long legs. I do find men's trousers work great. My daughter is few inches shorter and curvier, and likes them with the hems taken up.

Personally, as a student I think bleed-throughs happened just as often to girls in summer as winter (skirts in summer, trousers in winter) but on a skirt if you'd been sitting it was more obvious than with trousers, but standing, not obvious at all, so there was an advantage there.

These days I know a lot of girls wear period pants and a pad though – a great combo.

But yes – I think trousers with the option of calf length skirts make the most sense. They're much more practical than longer or shorter skirts, can't be rolled right up, and give girls the option. It is a shame that enough girls are rolling to such an extent that it's become an issue, though.

I have to say, I find it very difficult to believe that, between both the men's and women's department, a person cannot find a pair of trousers that sit comfortably at or just above the pelvic bones, and are roomy enough in the crotch and bum, with only perhaps needing the hems taken up (very easy to do with simple, unskilled hand sewing).

I suppose some very large (in terms of being overweight) people could have difficulty?

At 5'6" I often have to buy the short 27" version of trousers instead of the regular 29". Short legs and a correspondingly long torso, hence the crotch seam cutting me in two. Men's trousers don't come short enough and it's not just a case of shortening them because the trousers are designed for the wearer's knees to be lower down than mine are.

Size 14, and even as a size 10 teen I had this problem. I also can't get one-piece swimwear long enough. It's simply that I have a long torso with a tall pelvis.

I've had the most success with trousers sold as high-rise, which are about a mid-rise on me.

But nice try, trying to insinuate that I'm fat.

I haven't noticed the knee placement to be an issue for my daughter, who has a long torso and frequently has trousers cut down short enough that the knee is halfway down her shin. The knees will often sit in a different place on most people, due to height difference.
Of course, it does change the shape of the trouser leg bottoms, but thats not always an issue if its just a straight leg.

It does sound like you must have a very unusual body shape, but I'm sure there are trousers designed for women and which have deep crotches that might work, like front pleated, high rise, petite ones. It's just difficult to believe that no trousers could ever fit you comfortably, given that people of all shapes and sizes wear trousers as part of their work uniforms every day.

I wasn't trying to insinuate anything! What an assumption. I'm just aware, from family members, that finding clothes that fit well is much more difficult for bigger people, especially as often clothing brands assume they're all big in the same way and places ‐ when they're not. It's frustrating for them, and so I noted that as an aside.

(Nice that you consider being bigger such an insult, though.)

My best friend has a 12 inch difference between waist and hip measurements. Well fitting trousers are almost impossible.

Of course, it does change the shape of the trouser leg bottoms, but thats not always an issue if its just a straight leg.

It destroys bootcuts and skinnies.

people of all shapes and sizes wear trousers as part of their work uniforms every day.

Wearing them and being comfortable wearing them are two different things. I once took a bra off mid-afternoon at work because I couldn't stand the pain of the wires in my armpits any more (see also: fuck Bravissimo fitters). Until that moment, I had been wearing that bra.

That's not an unusually large difference? I'm only 10 inches now, in my late 30s, and I just don't wear trousers that come to my waist if they don’t fit well. I wear a lot of trousers that sit just above my pelvic bones, as a lowish mid rise. Perfectly comfortable.
I've never encountered a woman who had difficulty wearing trousers in my life, unless it was size related, so this all seems very odd – in line with women fainting if they wear trousers, or suffering health issues, or looking like men.

Again, I do think skirts should be an option in uniform, but I really don’t think there are girls who just literally can't wear trousers, unless they have 3 legs.

But for a school uniform, they don't need bootcuts or skinnies (both fairly unfashionable now). Just smart trousers that fit comfortably. Which I don't believe is impossible to affordably achieve for 99.9% of people.

In the context of your sniffy disbelief that I might actually be telling the truth about my own body, yeah, I took your intent as being to use "large" as an insult.

Well shes had a lifetime of not being able to find trousers that fit well both in look and comfort.

Biddy's friend has a waist a whole dress size smaller than her hips. That's going to cause huge problems finding trousers. It's going to limit skirt choice too, but at least flared skirts exist.

At 10" apart, your waist and hips are the same dress size.

I'm getting a strong impression, based on your comments about trouser knee height not mattering and your lack of awareness that British dress sizes assume a 10" hip spring, that you don't have much experience making or designing clothes. I make some of mine. Trust me, knee height matters for appearance and comfort.

"People keep talking about girls having their "arse" on show. I have never seen this. You'd have to be wearing a very short skirt indeed to display someone's behind"

Guess you've not worked in many secondary schools then!

I've known plenty of women with very small waists compared to their hips, and none were unable to wear trousers. So it's a little odd.

I actually do know a fair amount about sewing (my mother sews a lot of my clothes, and I've picked up a lot from her), but perhaps I'm just less picky than you about clothing appearance. Comfort is what matters to me most.

If you're going to insist on assuming bad faith, then there's no point in engaging.

The only way that I can get swimsuits to fit properly without cutting into me is to buy two pieces. I now buy tankini pieces from Lands end - regular high-rise bottoms, but long size top and they're just right.

So far as trousers are concerned, I can take up hems but the proportions still don't seem to be quite right. I find that certain makes of sports leggings are a bit more forgiving but - of course - they don't work for formal wear.

I do look for high-rise trousers.

I recall finding a particular cut of Levi's jeans that worked for me in the late '70s, but - alas - haven't found anything in formal wear that's quite so good.

My current jeans had to be bought a bit bigger than I would have liked. I took up the hem and I wear them with a belt, but they're still not right.

I also find that I can have a problem with certain dresses and jackets - the waistline often sits too high up and just looks odd: I tend to look for the
type that just skims and doesn't have noticeable pockets. (I do like pockets, but if they have a flap, then they're noticeably in the wrong place.)

Jumpers and t-shirts intended for men tend to be a bit better for length, but then the sleeves are often too wide or too long. Yes, I do roll up sleeves where that's possible or adjust as best as I can.

Honestly someone feeling the need to tell us to alter clothes where possible is a bit insulting...As if we'd never thought of that!

And yes - I am overweight, but I had the same problem with clothes when I was the same height that I am now - nearly 5ft 9 - and 8 stone 10 lbs. Even when I was a child, I recall my mum having difficulty getting clothes to fit because I had a long back. She was good at altering things, so she'd buy bigger and take in where necessary.

Once I was 11 yrs old, however, she had problems finding clothes suitable for my age group.

I feel sorry for the girls who have been told (according to various news reports) that their brand new uniform skirts are too short. I recall having great difficulty finding midi length skirts in my size.

As a teenager, I was in a band. There were only four girls in the group - there were 5 boys - and we all went to the same shop to purchase matching black skirts. The other three girls all got identical skirts that went below the knee. Mine was just above the knee. I certainly wasn't fat - I was the same height that I am now and had a 26 inch waist.

Of course body shape comes into play too. And im pleased your friends can all find trousers that fit. Can they find trousers that fit, fit the stupid rules schools have about styles, are within budget. Etc etc.

Maybe I've misremembered the measurement and it's more than 12 inches.

Girls in female trousers do not look like boys any more than a lad looks like a girl if he puts on a skirt. You're honedtly telling me that none of these girls ever wear anything but a skirt or dress outside of school?

I encourage this policy to be adopted everywhere. It resolves a lot of issues.