School uniform for girls

If I had my way girls would be wearing culottes instead of skirts……..try rolling those up at the waist band! i always remember my mum telling me that it isn’t classy or smart to show a lot of leg, it’s cheap and common!

When I was at school..there was a standard school uniform ..blazer tie etc. Grey skirts . Minis were in when I started secondary and we all wore them ...indeed we even rolled them up to b shorter. Let the young b young !

JenniRen
I think they made trousers compulsory in some schools because some boys were 'upskirting'.

Yes-a modern version of what boys did before.
Any boys found doing that should be disciplined
Certainly, but instead of that, girls’ clothes must be changed because those in charge are unable to control boys behaviour.

My experience of schools with a no uniform policy, also has rules about what was/was not allowed. e.g. no skimpy tops, no very short skirts, no visible underwear, no fashionably torn garments, no harem pants (low crotch trousers fashionable for boys), no garments with bad language or vulgar images etc.
What experiences do others who have mentioned children at non-uniform schools have? Or should we believe that all children at non uniform schools automatically make sensible clothing choices?

I think School uniform is a great leveller and I was happy to wear one in Secondary school. I would have hated to have to wear my own clothes every day as my parents could never afford to buy many clothes. The uniform, although costly, was a godsend to me and many others from working class backgrounds joining a grammar school.
I also think girls should not be made to wear trousers at school, they should have a choice BUT if wearing skirts then those skirts should be of a reasonably modest length and that length should be determined and monitored by the school.

Our daughter and SIL went to view a school for our GD.
She was 7 at the time but the school educates to 18.

Our daughter looking around the sports facilities etc was a waste of time as she knew her husband would want our GD to go when he saw the female pupils in ankle length kilts!

Witzend

My elder Gdd just started senior school, and IMO she looks very smart in her uniform. A short black ‘pencil’ skirt, as she calls it, with black tights. She’s very slim, and IMO it looks absolutely fine.

They all start off like that, Witzend.
Then they get to Y9 🤔

I think they made trousers compulsory in some schools because some boys were 'upskirting'.
Any boys found doing that should be disciplined and I believe mobile phones should be handed in and not used in school anyway.

dragonfly46

I too hate school uniforms. My children went to Dutch schools and wore what they liked. This was never a problem and certainly saved a lot of money.
As an aside they were also afforded much more freedom than here which made the majority of them much more independent and responsible.
I hated secondary school but would have thrived in the Dutch system.

Me too!

I think they make the girls wear boys style trousers in sweaty polyester which unsurprisingly aren’t popular. I bet most of these girls hardly ever wear skirts outside of school so its not having to wear trousers per se they complain about.

GrannyGravy13, most uniform school trousers that I see locally, look utterly shapeless and ill-fitting, so I can’t blame the girls for being peed off.

My elder Gdd just started senior school, and IMO she looks very smart in her uniform. A short black ‘pencil’ skirt, as she calls it, with black tights. She’s very slim, and IMO it looks absolutely fine.

GrannyGravy13

One of our local senior schools has just banned skirts.

They allegedly have strict rules on the style of trousers for both girls and boys.

The elder girls (now in yr 11 & 10) were not impressed by this, nor the style of trousers.

Tough!!!
Most of us on here had to endure school uniform we hated.

Calendargirl

They might just as well wear shorts instead of skirts then, if the skirts are so short they need shorts underneath them.

🤷‍♀️

They think black Lycra shorts give a modicum of decency rather than their pants or, heaven help us, their thongs were on display.

As somebody who tried to always wear short skirts to school myself in the seventies, and regularly got told off, I sympathise. We used to wear our navy knickers with them, now the girls wear Lycra shorts, so it’s not indecent. Teenagers try to bend the school rules, a fact of life.

Girls in Australia wear shorts as part of their school uniform very frequently, maybe that is something that could be added to the uniform options here?

I too hate school uniforms. My children went to Dutch schools and wore what they liked. This was never a problem and certainly saved a lot of money.
As an aside they were also afforded much more freedom than here which made the majority of them much more independent and responsible.
I hated secondary school but would have thrived in the Dutch system.

I can’t speak for the whole of Europe but here in Malta uniform is worn at all schools whether state, private or Church.

My granddaughter is at school in the USA and I think they look scruffy wearing anything they like, although there are still rules about skimpy tops etc.

We always wore uniform as did my own children, definitely no mini skirts allowed, our skirts had to touch the floor when we knelt down.

Mollygo

The skirts like pelmets issue has been going on since I was at school. Even having to kneel on a bench to have the height above the knee checked only changed skirt length temporarily.
My biggest concern here is that girls should be made to wear trousers because of the behaviour of boys. Can you imagine saying all boys must wear skirts and that rule being put into place?
I had a reason to visit an FE college yesterday. No compulsory uniform as these were all technically children who have left School, but almost over the students I saw wore black hoodies and jogging bottoms or occasionally short skirts with black tights, as if they have decided that uniform is a good thing.

I think trousers and shorts are far more practical in school settings.

At my DD’s coed secondary schools both DDs had the choice of skirts or trousers. After term 1 both opted for trousers for the rest of their schooling.

It’s not just about boys behaviour.

The skirts like pelmets issue has been going on since I was at school. Even having to kneel on a bench to have the height above the knee checked only changed skirt length temporarily.
My biggest concern here is that girls should be made to wear trousers because of the behaviour of boys. Can you imagine saying all boys must wear skirts and that rule being put into place?
I had a reason to visit an FE college yesterday. No compulsory uniform as these were all technically children who have left School, but almost over the students I saw wore black hoodies and jogging bottoms or occasionally short skirts with black tights, as if they have decided that uniform is a good thing.

Cossy

I did a year at school at 14/15 in a school in California.

I loved the fact that there was no “formal”uniform. Most of us wore jeans or shorts and T shirts, whether male or female. I loved it!

We also had mixed age groups within each different class, which meant streaming by attainment/ability rather than age, we also studied the same 6 subjects each day, English and PE were mandatory, maths was only compulsory until a certain level reached. We started school at 7:30am and finished at 2:30pm. Very little truancy and very little behavioural issues.

This was not a private school but a very large co-education “public” school, (totally different meaning to our own public schools here), very sadly, for me, my dearest mama loathed living in California, though myself and DF loved it as much as she loathed it.

So, thanks to her, we relocated back to England and I was sent back to my old girls Secondary modern, uniform and all!

It took me years to “forgive” her! But it was an amazing experience, which I never forgot and was extremely Lucy as back in the early 70’s not many people travelled internationally.

That is really interesting Cossy what a great experience for you! Thanks for sharing.

Oreo

Since girls and women all wear trousers most of the time it seems sensible that all schoolchildren wear them.
This means wearing a fleece type top over them for colder weather which is comfortable.

Yes!

I did a year at school at 14/15 in a school in California.

I loved the fact that there was no “formal”uniform. Most of us wore jeans or shorts and T shirts, whether male or female. I loved it!

We also had mixed age groups within each different class, which meant streaming by attainment/ability rather than age, we also studied the same 6 subjects each day, English and PE were mandatory, maths was only compulsory until a certain level reached. We started school at 7:30am and finished at 2:30pm. Very little truancy and very little behavioural issues.

This was not a private school but a very large co-education “public” school, (totally different meaning to our own public schools here), very sadly, for me, my dearest mama loathed living in California, though myself and DF loved it as much as she loathed it.

So, thanks to her, we relocated back to England and I was sent back to my old girls Secondary modern, uniform and all!

It took me years to “forgive” her! But it was an amazing experience, which I never forgot and was extremely Lucy as back in the early 70’s not many people travelled internationally.

One of our local senior schools has just banned skirts.

They allegedly have strict rules on the style of trousers for both girls and boys.

The elder girls (now in yr 11 & 10) were not impressed by this, nor the style of trousers.

They probably aren’t tiny skirts they are probably turned over and over. (Guilty as charged)

Just bring in trousers and jumpers and shirts for both boys and girls for winter, with optional shorts and polo shirts for hot weather.

Black, flat shoes and PE kit.

They are not in the armed forces and simply have to look relatively smart, “uniform” and practical.

We don’t live in the dark ages, even in the City work clothing is far more relaxed than it used to be.

It is their education which matters, and part of that, both at school and at home, is teaching both boys and girls to respect each other.

What we’ll never stop though are teenage hormones …..

They might just as well wear shorts instead of skirts then, if the skirts are so short they need shorts underneath them.

🤷‍♀️

All the secondary schools locally have pelmets for skirts. I am reliably told by my teenage GD's that lycra shorts are worn over pants. I am surprised the schools haven't done away with skirts and introduced smart trousers instead,

My DGDs and their friends seem to wear those black lycra cycling shorts under their skirts.