Mini-skirt row sparks school ban

The school's head teacher says parents are happy with the ban

A school has banned skirts because it did not want girls "going outside with a come hither look" after hemlines rose to "inappropriate" levels.

Kesgrave High School near Ipswich in Suffolk ordered female students to wear trousers after some turned up in minis.

Chairman of governors Margaret Young said they were impractical as well as immodest as many girls cycled to school

The Equal Opportunities Commission says students could have a case for unlawful sex discrimination.

The girls could claim they had been denied normal dress options, it was suggested.

'Dreadful'

Governors' chairman Margaret Young said: "Two years ago we sent out letters to parents asking them to make sure skirts were regulation length which is just above the knee.

"The impact was very short-lived and it wasn't long before skirts were very short again."

A high percentage of the school's 1,600 pupils cycled to school and such short skirts looked "dreadful" on them, Mrs Young said.

The school is obviously concerned about the sexualisation of young children but I think making all girls wear trousers is going too far Martin Goold, NUT

She added: "We simply do not want our girls going outside with a 'come hither look'. I think many parents will find it enormously helpful."

Head teacher George Thomas said: "There's going to be a uniform that gives all the girls and all the boys an equal chance to access in an appropriate style a very active curriculum and to make sure there is no embarrassment when girls are cycling to school.

"We just think it's common sense."

Martin Goold, Suffolk divisional secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said: "Thirty years ago we were getting equal opportunities cases where neither pupils nor teachers were permitted to wear trousers and now we seem to have gone completely the other way.

'Parents happy'

"The school is obviously concerned about the sexualisation of young children but I think making all girls wear trousers is going too far."

"The move could invite difficulties with parents and pupils over what might be considered normal attire."

But Mr Thomas said parents were happy with the decision and that he had only had one letter of complaint.

Earlier this month, a male student at Ringmer Community College in Lewes, Sussex, wore a skirt to college in protest at "sexist" school uniform rules.