Should skirts be banned in schools?

A school in Dorset has banned girls from wearing skirts so that they can "maintain modesty" in certain lessons.

The head teacher of Broadstone Middle School in Poole said skirts were not appropriate during lessons such as music and drama.

What do you think of the ban? Do you think wearing trousers will aid female pupils to "maintain modesty"? Are skirts impractical for certain lessons?

This debate is now closed. Read a selection of your comments below.

The following comments reflect the balance of opinion we have received so far:

Girls and boys are different and so should their school uniform. Please don't go down the route of homogenising the sexes and society any further, haven't we seen enough of the problems of ladettes to know this is a dangerous president to set. If modesty is an issue then have longer skirts and wear shorts for PE.
Duncan, Manchester

If a school has the authority to ban denim, trainers, sweatshirts and so on, then they can ban skirts if they so desire. The reason given here just doesn't seem to hold water though. How is a skirt inappropriate in music lessons? If the girls don't want to maintain their own modesty then choice of clothing won't make any difference.
Rob Goforth, Middlesbrough, UK

More fuss about nothing; probably pandering to the wishes of the politically correct. Why can't a simple selection of school uniform be set with allowable options? Let girls wear skirts, slacks or even shorts. Give the boys the same options to ensure complete sex equality.
Gary Russell, Peterborough, England

I do see a fair point here about standardising uniforms. Why do we need clothing to distinguish between girls and boys in the first place? It's the 21st century after all. I'm all for anything that rubbishes male defined images of women anyway. Girls need to learn to be women, not an image defined by male culture.
Jennifer Hynes, Plymouth, UK

As a drama teacher myself, I feel skirts are inappropriate for mixed drama lessons (I don't wear a skirt for drama lessons that I teach) as you can get quite physical and end up showing more than you want to! This leads to skirt-wearers becoming self-conscious and not participating in exercises properly. Personally I always suggest students wear trousers for drama days but a total ban seems a little extreme. And yes, the complete opposite to when our school council were campaigning to be allowed to wear trousers in school - just 10 years ago!
Sarah Chase, Hackney, London

This is really rather ridiculous, girls look so much smarter in a skirt than in completely unflattering trousers. I remember our head mistress coming into assemblies with a ruler - to measure skirt length and shoe height - those breaking the rules were simply sent home to change.... surely a better option to teach kids discipline and maintain "modesty", rather than inflict punishment on all.
Ant, Durham

They shouldn't be banned no. Schools should simply set the school uniform so that the girls can't wear them more than one inch above the knee, rather than one inch below the belt. I drive to work and see young girls dressed up like they're going out on a Saturday night drinking, its ridiculous!
Andrew, Lancshire

If only two lessons are affected by this why not just ask that on days people have those lessons could they wear trousers? Drama I can understand but music? Are the girls at this school asked the play instruments with their feet? I for one, would like to hear the reason for a school banning skirts in a music lesson.
Richard, UK

Whatever is this country coming too! Like most people I went through school wearing a skirt and it was a mini skirt in the 70s it done me no harm.
Yvonne, Liverpool UK

Schools are wrong to enforce a ban - why shouldn't it be up to the girls themselves?! ps I don't understand what type of music is being taught either requiring modesty! Enlightenment please...
Harriet Hoffler, London, UK

Nonsense. I agree that within an agreed uniform code girls should be allowed to wear what they like, but to actually ban skirts is simply pathetic. To say it "maintains modesty" is to play on fears about children growing up too fast or the threat of paedophilia, when all it actually is PC interference by petty minded officials. I cannot believe that the parents at this school have requested this ban.
Matt, Derby

Oh for goodness sake! What an absolutely ridiculous ban. I made it through school in a grey pleated skirt 12 months of the year, no trousers, not even in the harsh north of Scotland winters! Have a separate drama uniform if there really is a problem!
Leanne, Dundee, UK

Ye Gods! Whatever next? Won't the girls who wear extra short skirts now just opt for very tight trousers in future - defeating the whole object of maintaining 'modesty'.
Jill, Romford

Why is it the girls that have to change at all? Surely all this talk about "modesty" is only an issue because boys and men seem to be "tempted" and not because skirts are impractical etc. Why not sort them out and let girls wear what they feel comfortable in, be it skirt or trousers.
Nicole, London, UK

As a current secondary school teacher, I can fully appreciate a desire to see girls in modest skirts or trousers. However, fashion trends at the moment seem to be for hipster trousers and skirts designed to flash thongs at the back when the girls sit down. And I dare anyone to argue the point with a 15-year-old girl that she needs to be in a knee length skirt... and get anywhere. I'm just glad I'm not a parent.
C G, Falkirk

I am a parent and I do respect the school authority when it comes to decision making and implementing policies. I believe it will be more appropriate for the school authority to hold a meeting with the parents and make their intention known to them. There is nothing wrong with second opinion. Wearing trousers will not aid female pupils to maintain modesty. Modesty is more about upbringing. Trousers should be alternative to skirts in certain classes. I am not in support of a total ban on skirts.
Omorodion Osula, Boston, USA

I think there's nothing wrong with skirts if they are a reasonable length. As children become more socially aware, they learn how to conduct themselves modestly when wearing a skirt. They cannot learn this if they are banned from wearing a skirt. I do not think the message should be sent out that girls wearing a skirt are immoral. It is far better than seeing drunken women in town falling over and exposing themselves.
Katharine Friedmann, Leicester, UK

I agree with Kath, don't need to ban the skirts but how short they are. I wouldn't let my child go out of the house for school with a skirt higher than just below the knee. Blame the parents.
Lisa, Prudhoe, Northumberland

I can appreciate the decision made by the head of the school and governors, but I feel all schools should involve a process where students are allowed to have a say. We live in a democratic society and an issue such as dress code is important to students. I'm sure there could have been some compromise, say trousers and knee length skirts. An outright ban seems a little extreme.
Kiran, UK, Bristol, UK

Most of the comments here seem to focus on the length of the skirt and how it should be checked. Surely teachers and other staff have better things to do than check the lengths of skirts i.e. getting on with the business of educating the pupils. In the absence of any parental control over what their daughters wear, this is a sensible and pragmatic approach.
Rick Holyomes, Brighton, UK

So in allowing choice one way, the right to choice is removed in another. I agree with those saying that there should be a set length for school skirts but to ban them completely is ridiculous.
Rick, UK

At my school we weren't allowed to wear trousers, and our skirts had to be knee length (with regular 'inspections'!). I also survived with modesty intact but would have preferred the option. Why do the very foolish few who wear ridiculously short skirts (not a pretty sight) have to spoil it for the majority who wear reasonable length skirts?
Emily, Chester, England

I know one four year old who would be devastated if she wasn't allowed to wear a skirt or dress when she starts school in September. She's just getting a sense of identity and wearing her skirts is very much a part of her realising she's a girl.
Sarah, Dorset

As the parent of an almost 14-yr old daughter, I think it's ridiculous that a school should ban skirts for girls. Trousers ought to be optional, and skirts as the alternative should be of a suitably-decent length. My daughter's school has got the trousers versus skirts argument just right - girls are only allowed to wear certain brands of skirts/trousers which can only be bought from the one shop. There is therefore no excuse for a girl going to school immodestly dressed.
Susan Whittenham, Waterlooville, England

Any girl can maintain her modesty in a skirt. It's just that a certain type of girl will choose not to. That's down to her, not the garment!
Stuart, London

I think it's fair for parents and female students to have the option to wear either skirts or trousers, but the line should be drawn where skirt length is concerned. There should be a minimum length requirement on all skirts to preserve modesty and to reduce distraction for male students.
Fiona, Wimbledon, London

I can't see any problem with skirts that don't go above the knee. But why this subject has come up is beyond me. Head teachers must have too much time on their hands.
Robert Bahrani, London, UK

No it should not be banned. However strict rules should be put in place to control the length of skirts that girls are allowed to wear. They should also be given the 'option' of wearing trousers. There is no need to ban something like this just to maintain modesty. Just stick to the rules about uniform instead, and prevent pupils from flaunting them!
Andy, Leeds, UK

What next, a ban on kilts in Scotland?
Kes, Barnsley

Schools have been given the freedom to choose their own school policies, including school uniform. Head teachers and governors don't take decisions lightly and as such we should respect their decision. On a personal note, I don't believe a school uniform makes a child's standard of education any better or worse so what does it matter as long as the school is satisfied with their decision and the pupils are being educated and are happy.
Pippa Stone, Derbyshire, UK

I object to such a move in order to "maintain modesty". That is a subjective and judgemental approach. However, since schools can set their uniforms, I do support the removal of a gender bias in school clothing. Perhaps the real problem here is the way heads seem to do as they please without any accountability.
Alex, London, UK

The dress policy of the school is a matter for the school governors. If they wish to change the dress code then so be it.
Gordon McStraun, UK

Well I think we should let the school decides what is best. Sometimes I feel that the media over reacts and over reports on things. No one will ever agree on the same issues. We British spend so much time talking on issues and get little work done.
Christina Spybey, London, UK

The idea of uniforms is to show all pupils to have equal status. Conformity does not have to mean oppression of individual thoughts and deeds. Ever since there has been a relaxation of uniform codes, there has been a pandemic of pupils and parents demanding that their children wear what they want. This breaks the cohesion of equality and school discipline and a sense of belonging. Who is running the show here - parents or teachers?
Chris Kisch, Milton Keynes, UK

I was on the school council which finally persuaded our school to allow girls to wear trousers in 1991, but our biggest argument was the freezing cold we had to endure in winter, and frankly given the lengths (or lack of) some girls wore their skirts at, I'm not sure they were too bothered about preserving their modesty! At the end of the day it should be the pupil's choice, but at least if you are going to set a rule they've rightly picked trousers over skirts!
Jennifer, Netherlands, ex-UK

There are plenty of people in the world who think it not just immodest but downright disgraceful/disgusting/blasphemous to not cover every inch of a woman's body before leaving the house. Personally, I think women should be able to dress exactly how they please, and if someone has a problem with the way these girls dress, then maybe they should learn how to deal with it rather than forcing the girls to dress in the way that they prescribe as being appropriate.
Jo, London

What sort of music lessons would cause a girl to loose her modesty? Drama I can understand (although it didn't seem to affect our school some thirty years ago where the girls had to wear a skirt). But music? We must have moved beyond simple recorders and percussion for it to come to this. My mother was right when she said "Nothing good will come from rock 'n' roll mark my words!"
Paul Robinson, Grimsby, England

I'm actually for the ban against skirts. Modesty should be provoked as teenagers are wearing more and more skimpy clothes, intentionally girls wear small skirts. However I think it may have been to harsh to ban the skirts altogether they could have had a certain length specified for the skirt.
Sasha, UK

As far as I am aware women there is no job in which a woman is banned from wearing trousers and must wear a skirt. A grown woman can choose to wear trousers so why shouldn't we extend such choice to a schoolgirl? One of the difficulties however, is that most children's wear suppliers don't seem to produce a range of school trousers for girls.
Stephen, London

Wearing uniforms to school seems to cause so much trouble, and the uniforms are usually totally impractical, uncomfortable, and (no matter how vigorously they are enforced) open to "modification" by those forced to wear them. Get rid of uniforms and let the children wear what they like.
Edwood, Malvern UK

The ban is loopy! Skirts have been worn as the uniform for some time without complaint. As long as skirts are of a reasonable length there is no reason for banning them. If they are inappropriate in certain lessons then have appropriate attire for those lessons as part of the uniform - the girls do not have PE lessons in skirt but have a PE kit.
Alan Glenister, Bushey, UK

In this modern day society people, and in this case females, should have the right to wear what they want. However, it is up to the school to make the decision. Young girls should be able to wear skirts but not ones that show to such an extent that they lose their "modesty" or have to constantly tug at the skirts so to make sure that they do not lose their "modesty". It is down to the age of the girl, it is ridiculous to see young girls wear short skirts and believe that they look good, because this is what they may perhaps think.
Sebastian Hobot, Barry

What a load of rubbish! When I was a girl we wore shorts for dance and PE and normal clothes for drama except for when we were in costume. Return to sensible school uniform rather than the "anything goes" which happens in most schools, with special clothes for certain lessons and the problem is solved.
Pauline Fothergill, Halifax, West Yorkshire

It's about time schools stopped perpetuating sexual stereotypes and introduced a standard uniform for both boys and girls, why not trousers and jackets for all?
Mark Blackman, London

Yes I suppose to maintain modesty but when I was in comprehensive school during the mid 80s the school uniform was a must, shirt, tie, skirt/trousers, proper school shoes, the teachers were strict, you have a ticking off from the teachers if you didn't wear a full uniform, these days the two comprehensive schools in my town seem to let the children wear anything, polo shirts, trainers etc no wonder children are so unruly and badly behaved as all the disciplining has been taken away from the teachers.
Rachel, Aberystwyth, Wales

I believe this to be rather extreme, as certain lessons should demand an extra 'kit' in the same way as sports etc. However, I do also find it quite amusing as when I was at school girls were not allowed to wear trousers at all, even in the winter, modesty never came into the equation as a certain length of skirt was required for uniform. How times do change!
Mary, Dudley, West Midlands

I went to school in Glasgow, a city well known for its cold wet winters. Girls at are school weren't allowed to wear trousers at all despite the discomfort of sitting in soaking wet tights. They'd have killed for this ban!
Peter, Nottingham

If I survived wearing a skirt all through 13 years of school so can everyone else! I even had to have PE Lessons wearing only navy pants and a T- shirt and I am unaffected by the experience- we were all the same and no one suffered!
Anon, UK

When I was at school, it was the opposite, girls weren't allowed to wear trousers, and had to wear skirts - I hated it! I would have done anything to be able to wear trousers. Given the size of some of the "belts" that teenage girls tend to call skirts, I can see why modesty in certain lessons would be an issue - but I really don't think banning skirts is necessary. Given the choice, most girls I know would choose trousers over skirts anyway - so I doubt it is really that much of an issue.
JB, Essex, UK

This is a decision taken by the school governors and we should respect the right of schools to choose their own uniform policy.
Michael, York, UK

Surely if it's that much of an issue the solution is to ban mini skirts as opposed to banning skirts. Although I would have appreciated the chance to wear trousers instead of a skirt, my uniform was a skirt that had to be knee length or below. I really can't see that being immodest unless you decided to stand on your head!
Kath, Birmingham

As long as the skirt length is 'decent' and is closer to your knees than your waist, what's wrong with skirts ? When I went to school, we were only allowed skirts and they had to be knee length or more. Why not just stick to that formula ?
Archana, Harrow, UK

If the school are asinine enough to ban skirts in lessons, I dread to think what they make the kids wear in swimming lessons. Presumably even a full wetsuit wouldn't satisfy the teachers that modesty is "maintained". These people need a reality check!
Paul, London

The most important question is: who should decide? The answer is surely the school, together with the parents and children concerned. The rest of us (and the government) should resist the temptation to interfere.
Rob Findlay, Shrewsbury, UK

Somehow I managed to survive my whole school career wearing a skirt, with my modesty intact!
Caroline, Scotland

Why not put them all in orange jumpsuits and have done with this constant bickering over school uniforms once and for all?
Vicky C, Newcastle upon Tyne

Being able to wear skirts is part of a girl's identity. Skirts are traditional and if they are impractical then surely the girls can change into trousers? I, as a pupil, believe skirts to be smart and neat.
HoHo, Blairgowrie, UK

I'm pleased to hear there are still people out there who care about modesty. Unfortunately, in this day and age, the sad majority don't. Ban skirts? I don't think so. Let everyone wear what they like, as long as it doesn't affect their ability to study, what's the problem?
Stan, Norfolk, UK

Funny this one, when me and my sister were at school (10 years ago) the school wouldn't even let the girls wear tights in the middle of winter! To be honest though this is only coming about because girls nowadays (I'm sounding really old here) do wear shockingly short skirts that when I was at school would have got you sent home to get changed. I don't really think banning skirts per se is the answer - perhaps having limits on the length of them would be more appropriate.
Steve, Warrington, Cheshire

The word 'ban' indicated a knee-jerk over-reaction by the authorities. What happened to the word 'optional'? There are too many stupid rules coming out of government and management. By imposing an all-out ban they will be taking away the freedom of choice of those who wish to wear skirts. When I was at school, if we had a lesson that involved physical movement, then we wore appropriate clothing for that lesson. When the lesson was over, we reverted to standard uniform, which incidentally, did not include sweat shirts, hoodies, outsize jeans or other casual items, it was shirt and tie, and trousers or skirts.
David, Cornwall, UK

It all depends on the length of the skirt - if you choose to wear a skirt that is so short anyway, there is no question of modesty but when you wear a longer skirt which easily "maintains modesty", there is no problem. Not everyone wants to wear trousers as part of their school uniform!
Laeeqah, Berkshire