School tells boys they can wear skirts in the summer but not shorts
Parents have been left baffled after a secondary school’s new uniform policy introduced a rule allowing boys to wear skirts – but retained a ban on them wearing shorts.
Wymondham High Academy in Norfolk introduced a new ‘gender neutral’ uniform policy after male pupils complained about being uncomfortable in trousers during the summer months.
Jonathan Rockey, the headteacher of the 1,705-pupil school, defended the change as ‘something we are very proud of’ and said parents had been consulted.
But one called the decision to relax enforce restrictions on shorts even when temperatures pass 30 degrees Celsius as ‘insane’.
They added: ‘The school appears to be deaf to parents clearly voicing concerns on this matter.
‘It is not in our children’s best interest to be overdressed and overheated in the summer.
‘This is not conductive to an effective learning environment and I believe it is a health and safety issue.’
Another parent said: ‘We have been repeatedly asking year after year for shorts to be added to the uniform.
‘This is because girls can currently wear a skirt in the summer but boys have to wear trousers all year around.
‘Every summer boys have found the heat hard to bear and so there have been repeated requests for shorts for both genders.
‘Offering a skirt as an option is not gender neutral. It would be gender neutral to offer both boys and girls the option of a skirt or shorts.
‘A skirt is an item of clothing traditionally associated with girls so although it is absolutely fine for a boy to wear a skirt, many boys and girls might feel uncomfortable about that and would choose to wear shorts.’
A third parent added: ‘I don’t have any issues with boys wearing skirts.
‘That isn’t the problem here. I’m sure many girls would also like the opportunity to wear shorts instead of trousers in hotter months.’
Mr Rockey said that a requirement for all pupils to wear blazers all year around had already been relaxed.
He said in a statement that the school had not ruled out further updating its uniform policy in the future.
Mr Rockey said: ‘Many parents were supportive of us considering a ‘summer uniform’, which we will consider for 2023-24.
‘In the short term, we have enabled pupils to remove their blazers during hot weather.
‘Changing everything about our uniform in one go, especially with the current financial concerns, would not be sensible so we are able to stage changes over a period of time.’
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