Skirts banned as 40 schools go gender neutral

DOzeNS of schools have banned skirts in favour of a gender neutral uniform.

At least 40 secondary schools have already stopped pupils from wearing skirts, while several others are considering it, it was claimed yesterday.

Girls at Priory School in Lewes, east Sussex, were told they could no longer wear skirts last year. School management said that before the ban, pupils had questioned the different uniform for boys and girls.

They also stressed that the needs of transgender children should be taken into account.

Meanwhile skirts at Woodhey High School, in Bury, were deemed ‘ undignified and embarrassing’ for staff and visitors when girls sat on the floor for assembly.

One school has compared wearing a skirt as the same as wearing non-regulation uniform such as ‘skinny jeans and facial piercings’.

Pupils at Copleston High School in Ipswich have been told that going against the rule would be unacceptable. Copleston is just one of eight secondary schools in the area which have banned skirts – meaning the majority of girls in Ipswich attend a ‘trousers- only’ institution.

The crackdown across the country comes as the Government prepares to clarify the rights of transgender people in changes to the Gender Recognition Act.

But there has been a backlash against the move at some schools, with some girls saying they preferred to wear skirts.

A petition has been launched against a proposed ban at Philips High School, in Bury, which has already garnered hundreds of signatures.

Female pupils at the school said they felt more confident in skirts and a ban could ‘damage [their] mental health’. Feminist groups have also criticised the bans. American writer Naomi Wolf told The Sunday Times: ‘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.’

Pupils at a leading private school are to be taught how to apply make-up in an initiative to reduce anxiety levels.

The lessons at Immanuel College, an £18,000-a-year school in Bushey, Hertfordshire, previously did not allow cosmetics.

But when a 15-year- old pupil revealed she was suffering from anxiety over a skin condition, this ban was lifted.

As a result, pupils – male or female – will be treated to 40minute sessions with qualified make-up artists to learn how to cover up spots. However, eyeliner and lipstick remain banned.