Girls face ban on skirts as schools opt for gender neutral uniforms to cater for transgender pupils
Critics say that all pupils, including schoolboys, should also have the freedom to wear skirts
GIRLS are facing a ban on skirts as schools opt for gender neutral uniforms to cater for transgender pupils.
Traditional schoolwear could be on its way out, as dozens of schools prohibit pupils from wearing them in favour of a trousers-only policy.
reported how at least 40 secondary schools had already banned skirts, with others consulting on the change.
Priory School in Lewes, East Sussex, banned skirts last year after pupils questioned why its uniform was different for boys and girls, and to take into account the needs of transgender students.
Crawshaw Academy, near Leeds, is “consulting on implementing a gender-neutral uniform (trousers only)”.
The investigation also reports how skirts were placed on a list of unacceptable items alongside “skinny jeans and facial piercings” at Copleston High School in Ipswich.
The switch to trousers at Woodhey High School in Bury appeared to be for different reasons.
They said skirts were considered "undignified and embarrassing" for staff and visitors if girls sat on the floor for assembly and in drama classes.
In Bradford, multiple schools with a high proportion of Muslim pupils prohibit skirts on modesty grounds.
Bans are also common in Leeds and Grimsby.
In Ipswich the majority of girls attend “trouser-only” schools, after eight secondary schools banned them.
The moves come as the Government sets out to clarify the rights of transgender people in changes to the Gender Recognition Act, with a consultation set to be published on Tuesday.
In Japan an increasing number of schools are introducing unisex uniforms or flexible codes to support transgender students - and are encouraging schoolboys to wear skirts if they wish.
At Kashiwanoha Junior High School, for example, students can choose whether to wear skirts or slacks or ties or ribbons with blazers, regardless of their sex.
In the UK too, students are arguing that making all children wear trousers but not allowing either sex to wear skirts is also unfair.
Pupils at Philips High School, in Bury, which is set to introduce a compulsory trouser uniform for both boys and girls next year, have started a petition arguing that a ban on skirts is “sexualising” pupils’ bodies.
Its female pupils say they feel more confident in skirts and that forcing them into trousers could “damage our mental health”.
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The petition reads: “If any teacher believes seeing a child’s leg is in any way ‘too sexual’ they should be sacked immediately for gross misconduct.”
Prominent feminist Naomi Wolf also support the argument, saying: “I think that trousers-only for everyone is a silly way to go — unless you are going to also offer the option of skirts-only for everyone.
"I believe that if everyone is offered the option of both skirts and trousers, everyone can find his, her or their comfortable fit.”
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