England School Bans Skirts For Being ‘Unladylike’

A school in England has banned girls as young as nine years old from wearing skirts because hemlines have climbed too high.

According to Birmingham Mail, “Walkwood Church of England Middle School in Redditch is believed to be the first in England to stop pupils under the age of 13 from wearing skirts.”

Beginning in September, girls between the ages of nine and 13 will be required to wear trousers and shirts that are similar to those that the males students wear.

The Birmingham Mail report stated the following:

Head teacher David Doubtfire said the ban was necessary to get some of the girls to cover up at school because they were wearing skirts that were far too short, making them appear ‘unladylike’.

Gulf News stated that the ban also comes because of an increase in numbers of young girls copying the “sexy schoolgirl” look popularized by celebrities.

Doubtfire stated, “Some of the older girls were beginning to wear extremely short skirts. It was becoming difficult, especially when it came to them sitting down in the hall.

“It was very unladylike. We would ask them to make their skirts longer, but they would just roll them up again when we turned away.

“Parents seem to be all right about it, although 20 have written to us to say they are not happy.”

Metro news has stated that a campaign group, School Skirt Ban, has questioned whether the ban is even legal.

The group offers advice to parents on how to fight bans such as these.

Metro news reported that the group said “Although there is no legal precedent, the Equality and Human Rights Commission would strongly advise against a ban because it could be considered indirect discrimination.”

The Telegraph reported that a group of 20 parents have now written the school to complain over the skirt ban.

One parent, who did not want to be named, said: “You hear so much about the over sexualisation of children these days but to call a nine-year-old girl unladylike is absurd.”

“They aren’t ladies, they are young girls. And to stop them from wearing skirts is just going to confuse them.

“I’ve always been against skirt bans, but I understand there has to be a limit for teenagers as they are turning into young women. But not for girls as young as nine, that’s just crazy.”

Where do you stand on the idea of banning skirts for girls in school as young as nine years old?

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