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

British schools are abusive. We will be homeschooling. I won’t be adhering to petty uniform nonsense rules.

Because boys aren't being trained to value themselves as objects of sexual desire, and don't feel compelled (by whatever force, social media, society, peer pressure, something else) to be as naked as possible in public. (not all girls, obvs; some are more resistant to this pressure than others)

If boys wore shorts with their butt cheeks hanging out, or cut-off t-shirts that exposed their abs and belly button in class, or trousers so tight we could clearly see their penises, you can believe the same fuss would be made. Why don't they wear such clothing? You tell me.

This kerfuffle over uniforms is addressing the symptom, not the cause.

I taught at a socially-diverse primary school without uniform. The pluses were that uniform issues were never mentioned and there didn’t seem to be the same problem with lost clothing, because all clothes were instantly recognisable by their owner.

But the negatives were that it was immediately and visibly apparent which parents had more money than others, even at a very young age. One girl (who was in receipt of FSM) wore exactly the same ancient grey-white teeshirt and thin leggings all year round 😕. I think she had a fleece for playtime in the winter. Other girls wore an endless parade of beautiful Boden and Vertbaudet skirts, dresses and tops. It was an undercurrent but I think it contributed to peer pressure and nastiness amongst the girls over who had prettier, ‘girlier’ clothes. Meanwhile the boys sailed through it in teeshirts and trousers. It was like the Debbie Tannen ‘marked’ and ‘unmarked’ clothing theory written out on infant-aged children.

I am not sure how that was a better situation than having school uniform and I wouldn’t want to see how that would play out with teenagers.

Agree. Although boys do get endless stick for uniform infringements, too. The pettiest stuff. And no shorts in summer, no matter how hot.

Most local primary schools round here (Ireland, non urban) have gone over to a tracksuit with badge and polo shirt uniform, same for both sexes. Washable, reasonably good quality, practical. Summer term ends at the end of June.

I had chronic UTI from around 13 onwards which I put down to school toilet policies. After a few doses of antibiotics, I was on a thrush/UTI rollercoaster which multiple GP visits couldn't resolve. I learnt how next to manage it and I couldn't wear jeans or trousers and once old enough couldn't drink alcohol either.
I eventually fixed it in my mid 20's but not being able to wear a skirt would have really impacted me.

In some very challenged areas around here, the little ones in primary have their sweatshirts and polo shirts for heavy washing and rolling around in, but year 5 and 6 have ties and blazers (lots of help for families in sourcing and affording them including in-school swap shops) and a thing is made about the expectation of looking smart and respecting themselves/the school and their education. It makes a difference. All the kids look the same, but their self esteem and self image is also different seeing themselves smartly dressed, in a way they never would if wearing what they usually would. It's giving them more choices and opportunities, experiences they'll take into jobs with them. I've seen the difference it's made over the last few years and I'd hate to see that lost.

Yet again, that sounds like dressing children in costumes that in no way resemble what adult professional or business people wear day-to-day in the 2020s, so they look marked out as not being on their way to maturity.

This sounds like something Victorian men would say:

Ladies bodies are different so they can't ride a bicycle/horse due to their different (defective) anatomy. They have to ride saddle or they will faint.

Poor girls with their defective bodies that cannot cope with trousers!

Get a grip - women in the army, police, NHS, farming & many more have been wearing & working in trousers for decades without fainting.