Schools banning skirts.

Lemon grove. Absolutely agree. Skirts are not practical especially for primary school children who wish to play on play frames. We have to move on a relinquish outdated norms in advancement of equality. I think most girls would want to wear trousers. I think they are more empowering for girls at school.

Many years ago I wasn't allowed to wear trousers to teach because the head didn't like them. My DS once went into school in a skirt for a dare, he was swiftly told to put his trousers back on. I thought we had moved on and at least allowed some choice now. It seems not.

So many things to consider with all this. I agree skirts are a problem and thus it ever was. My daughters used to turn theirs into mini skirts in the 70's. I do think we should educate boys in appropriate behaviour and girls too. As ever the minority mob has the ear of the Government.

When I was Head of District Nursing I had to order new uniform (what a task) and we as a service decided on a choice between uniform dresses and trousers. The 'trousers only' brigade soon ordered a dress for hot weather. The following year I introduced culottes as well which were very popular.

This proposal is disgraceful and all women must stand up and shout - it is another example of unchallenged patriarchy - if all children are to 'look' the same in the interests of not offending transgender children then why is there an automatic assumption that the traditional male dress trumps the traditional female dress? We should make all children wear skirts - the argument is just as powerful. However, perhaps even more important is this desire to satisfy the wants and needs of a very tiny minority - transgender children - how come the rights of this minority are more important than the rights of the very large majority of girls? And why on earth, when a transgender child has identified with its opposite biological sex, can't it wear the clothes associated with that - honestly, I despair of the quality of headteachers' thinking these days. Every one of us here who has a grandchild in school should be lobbying the heads of those schools to be sensible and certainly to ensure that the rights of girls are not trampled on by the so-called rights of transgender children.

It doesn't seem that many years since DD and her friend led a campaign for girls to be allowed to wear trousers in the 6th form ...
How things change in a relatively short space of time.

At my all girls school the rule was that when you knelt down your skirt hem had to touch the floor. Could this rule not be applied to anyone who wants to wear a skirt to school to avoid any revelations of underwear or opportunities for inappropriate photos? The skirt will be just on the knee - hardly that dowdy.
I am also deeply worried about the whole 'transgender' children issue. It is a natural stage of development for young people in adolescence to go through a stage of hero worship for an older person of the same sex. Are we reaching a stage where children passing through a perfectly natural phase, and possibly expressing or demonstrating such feelings, will find themselves almost encouraged to overthink their feelings and be channelled into a way of life that will cause confusion?

Some posters seem to be missing the point - the proposal is to ban trousers for girls, to make the uniform 'gender-neutral'.

Why should girls be banned from wearing trousers at school?

Why shouldn't boys and girls be banned from wearing trousers and everyone forced to wear skirts? That would also be gender-neutral. Skirts for girls/trousers for boys is after all only a convention not an innate human need.

Making girls wear trousers won't make the slightest bit of difference. If they are that way out they will just opt for low riders and show off their lady parts and tramp stamps from a different angle.

Sorry, in my haste I said girls banned from wearing trousers, when the proposal is to ban them from wearing skirts!

My point is that it's girls who have to conform, when they, and boys, should be allowed to wear skirts or trousers, whatever suits.

I am aware that at least one independent girls' school has moved to uniform trousers but I wouldn't be surprised if it did not catch on in high status and/or expensive schools to preserve the difference. State schools should watch this.

I like to see girls wearing skirts. I only wear trousers on cold winter days. I love a nice skirt & I like getting air to my body. Why can't we let girls be girls. Yes I turned my horrid black skirt up to indecent lengths when I was a teenager & did the detentions for it. It's a right of passage.
Let boys be boys & girls be girls & anyone else who is not quite sure do their own thing too.

"It doesn't seem that many years since DD and her friend led a campaign for girls to be allowed to wear trousers in the 6th form ..."

Banned, permitted, then obligatory. A recurring circle from conformity to individualism and back to conformity again.

Am I the only one who can see 20-40-60 years down the line where we all wear an identical jumpsuit , men/women/children.

Choices removed ! Once that happens then other choices are removed also perhaps and we're all gender neutral, all called 'they' and so on and so on.....

I'd rather see girls in trousers than with their skirts only just concealing their knickers.

I think the whole world is going mad! I know women wear trousers, I do all the time, but that doesn't make them a gender neutral garment! I understand that some schools are making the toilets gender neutral, and to say the least - that must be uncomfortable for many. Bending over backwards for these equalities is ridiculous. The different minoritities are still just that - hugely in the minority, the whole world does not need to be changed to accommodate them. When is common sense going to be used in all these matters?

So what’s the problem? It’s a uniform

Correct me if I’m wrong, but my GDs are in Beavers and Cubs and their uniform is trousers. So what’s the difference?

Well mem, if that’s what a trans wants, welcome to the world where what women want is seen as less important than what men feel is right.
However, he’ll stand a better chance of achieving the right to wear a skirt than the females who want the right to wear skirts, because he’ll be able to claim discrimination.
I’m all in favour of choice for uniform- many schools now say the uniform is e.g. grey skirt or trousers without mentioning whether for boys or girls. The girls tend to wear shorts or trousers more than the boys choosing to wear skirts, but it’s still a choice. If it’s to stop upskirting, train the boys and punish the transgressors!

I agree short skirts are not appropriate. But then some trousers are not exactly modest either, in fact they are far more revealing around the bum than many skirts.

We need to be training boys that it is not OK to upskirt etc.

Personally I love wearing skirts. so feel sorry if the choice for schoolgirls is taken away.

in early 60s we were not allowed to wear trousers/jeans to school.then mary quant came along and the battle began,all of the sudden jeans were allowed.microminis ,not so much.there were length rules.of course we roled the waistbands.
no shorter than 3inches above the knee.you were sent home to change.
beyond that anyone trying to dictate what we wore was unheard of,truancy,good grades and education were more important.as for gender issues,who cares,wear what works.kilts,asian robes,kimonos.kaftans all worn here.
in the usa here but have a large university with professsors from all over the world.so the familys wear thier countrys clothing.
as a history teacher i used these ethnic fashions as a teaching tool.kids did presentations on the history and purpose of the clothing.
i wear primarily tshirt sundresses and cotton kaftans because its so hot.out the door i wear jeans,working in yard shorts.niece has a dozen skorts.cool comfortable and can be adapted to most situations.

I don’t agree with banning skirts for girls, why should their choice be reduced? Neither do I see a problem with skirts and trousers being equally permitted to all pupils. Surely that is true equality; any other issues regarding appropriate lengths, behaviour etc should be addressed separately.

If boys’ behaviour towards girls is inappropriate at school, then it should be dealt with, or the issues will just move to outside school.

In the early seventies I was the first teacher in my school to wear trousers. The head agreed as soon as I asked if he minded but he was quite progressive.

This said in a loud shouty voice.
I'm sick to bloody death ( today) with hearing about the transgender 'community'
I had some tart spouting on about it on breakfast tv.
I get in my car and guess what, here we go again on woman's hr.
I have a lovely massage, very very relaxed. Get to my friend and she's got Jeramy ( spouts twadle) Vine on with another one spouting on about their sexuality. Give it a bloody break.
Rant over

Not much fun for young ladies who suffer regular UTI's or candida. The advice is not to wear trousers but the wear skirts. It's just the world gone mad. By all means give girls a choice (and boys!) but to remove something so traditional to be PC, it is ridiculous. What about young boys who identify as female? Many of them would find wearing trousers quite distressful.

When I went to High School in 1948 the uniform rules said that skirts should be 1" above the knee when kneeling, NOT New Look length, i.e. mid calf!