Short School Skirts.

One and a half inches above the floor when kneeling. Needless to say as soon as we were out of the door, our waistbands were rolled over and over until our shirts were pelmet length and then our purse belts were clamped over the bulge. No tights, just knee length socks and bare legs.

Caleo

It is just too bad that a head teacher would have to inveigle parents to sign up to an agreement that every parent should take for granted.

Inveigling didn’t come into it. He didn’t inveigle, persuade (someone) to do something by means of deception or flattery
It was a straight out statement.
You’re right about the expectation of support for school rules being something parents (and teachers) should be able to take for granted, but a minority of parents oppose anything that doesn’t suit them.
I’m reminded of no sweets in lunch-boxes and the parents who popped in fruit winders or strawberry laces because fruit is good for them or only water in water bottles and the parent who added Vimto because the child was allergic to water.

It is just too bad that a head teacher would have to inveigle parents to sign up to an agreement that every parent should take for granted.

When DD1 started high school, the head had a meeting with parents at which he announced that, “We are an oversubscribed school. By accepting a place here you are agreeing to support school rules with regard to behaviour, uniform and lessons. We ask you to sign a home-school agreement to that effect.
If you don’t feel able to do that, then this is possibly not the school for your child.
We all hastily signed.

Children not wearing uniform properly is a discipline issue, if parents refuse to back the school up that sends the wrong message to the child.

Discipline, in particular self discipline is important, when they leave school a great many employers requires a uniform of some kind, not only for presentation reasons but safety as well, When children are allowed to disregard rules at will they find it very hard accept the self discipline at university or follow instructions at work

Even turning up on time is a challenge for some young workers as is the ability to follow instructions, it hardly surprising that employers are reluctant to train them.

PaperMonster

Trousers for everyone would be a nightmare. I have a child with sensory issues. She can barely tolerate the skirt, she wouldn’t wear trousers. The skirts at her school can only be purchased from the uniform shop and are supposed to be knee length. She has a larger size as she struggles with the waistband and so it sits lower on her than it should - and even so, it sits above her knees. That school in Rainford treated the girls appallingly.

How do boys with “sensory issues “ cope?.

Trousers for everyone would be a nightmare. I have a child with sensory issues. She can barely tolerate the skirt, she wouldn’t wear trousers. The skirts at her school can only be purchased from the uniform shop and are supposed to be knee length. She has a larger size as she struggles with the waistband and so it sits lower on her than it should - and even so, it sits above her knees. That school in Rainford treated the girls appallingly.

I would prefer to be classed as ‘slightly overweight’ rather than ‘enormous’, pc or not.

slightly overweight
That's non-pc now, as is fat.

The correct term is enormous.

slightly overweight

I don’t think this is ‘judgemental’.

Just an honest observation, taken in context with how she was dressed.

Poor girl, probably trying to fit in with her peers, and ending up looking a figure of ridicule.

I still have to read how unacceptable is the way boys wear their uniform

In what way?
Ties too loose?

Anyone who is slightly overweight is generally a target of snide remarks at school - I speak from experience - and showing chubby cheeks would hardly be what is now described as a 'good look'. I don't think the OP said that the skirt length 'hurt her' - she was sympathetic . Let's hope, as FannyCornforth suggested, she was given some better advice at school.

Describing in details her weight, foe example, was one factor

How does the length of the skirt hurt the op?

No, I don't agree with women and young girls being so sexually objectified
The length of the skirt is just a small symptom of a huge problem

I still have to read how unacceptable is the way boys wear their uniform

Yes, it wasn’t judgmental. It was actually empathetic.
The poor girl will be ridiculed.
I’m sure (and hope) that the pastoral team at her school will step in and have a little word.

Highthere do you think a schoolgirl dressed as Besvip1 has described is appropriate? I would be concerned for remarks that would be made to her, at the very least. I am at a loss to see how this is 'judgemental' also - can we not comment on what we see and subsequently think? ?

My school had the 'kneel and ensure the hem touches the floor' rule, and patent shoes were banned. When I worked in a junior school, one girl came in wearing a knee length straight skirt that was split to the thigh, and showing her knickers. The Head (female) who never held back with these matters, rang the mother and bellowed 'What ARE you thinking of? ' and insisted that mother brought trousers or a more modest skirt into school at once. We all waited for the letter of complaint or the call from the governors, but nothing more happened.

Besvip1
What a judgemental comment!

I hope you treat your family and friends better than this

A few months ago, i was walking the dog and passed some local senior school kids. There was one girl I was behind, she must have been about 12-14 yrs old, slightly overweight and plain looking (meaning not all dolled up), her skirt was so short that you could see she was wearing thong type knickers, so not only could you see to top of legs but some bum cheek too. It wasn’t a pretty site, felt sorry for the poor thing, she was on her way to school which is a mixed sex school, walking along the main road which was busy with traffic.

There is a Catholic school in Herts where the girls wear floor length tartan skirts. It amazes me that there isn’t a riot about them. To my mind they look weird. But my sons went to North London comps with no uniform where they all wore jeans and t/sweatshirts and that was fine with me!

Sexuality is glorified by the culture, and both boys and girls have suffered.
True, it was good that we had the sexual revolution of the 1960s - 70s . Now, ersatz sexuality pervades popular culture and pretends it's all good all beautiful.
Against false sexuality schools and parents fight a losing battle.

Who are the individuals who benefit from sexualisation? The fashion industry, the commercial music industry, commercialised magazines, novels, and film.

Yep the American Tan tights with white knee length socks at those discos with ultra-violet lights 💡

JaneJudge

we used to have to kneel on the floor and the hem had to touch the floor. It didn't appear to stop girls getting pregnant though before their exams had been taken

My school was the same JaneJudge - run by nuns. We all rolled our waistbands and I remember Sr. Peter Joseph stopping people to check their skirt lengths!!

White knee length socks over tan tights was a thing too!

At my GD's school they decided to solve the problem of shortening skirts by making all girls wear skirts you can only buy from an expensive shop. The skirts all have the school symbol on them but I don't think they thought it through properly as the symbol is on bottom of the skirt.

I was a bit too young for it, but I remember older girls at school backcombing their hair to hide their berets. 😂

My 13 year old DGD told me a friend of hers was told off by a teacher for wearing (black) tights that were too thin because she was distracting the boys! As DGD wisely pointed out, how on earth did the poor defenceless boys cope in the summer when the girls wore their skirts with socks and no thick black tights!