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Schoolgirls Left In Tears As ‘Male Teachers Inspected The Length Of Their Skirts To Make Sure They’re Not Too Short
It’s alleged parents of the schoolgirls were contacted if they did not comply.
Rainford High School in St. Helens is currently under fire for its uniform policy, which states that skirts must be knee length, with failure to comply resulting in detention or suspension. Reportedly, schoolgirls returned home from the Merseyside high school in tears after being told their skirts were too short following an inspection that involved both female and male teachers.
Parents claimed girls whose skirts were deemed too short were made to queue, asked to adjust their skirts, and that parents were contacted if they didn’t comply.
A parent revealed some pupils were left crying and embarrassed as a petition was launched, titled “Stop Rainford High controlling girls’ skirts.” The parent, whose name was withheld], told the St. Helens Star: “My daughter stated that they are asked to adjust their skirt and if they say no or cannot, then parents are contacted and told their child must come in the following day in a longer skirt or they will be given a detention.”
The parent added: “I do understand some students may wear particularly short skirts, but that cannot be the case for this amount of girls.” They shouldn’t get detention or suspension over skirt length. “The male students are now using this as an excuse to laugh at the girls, what message is this sending to them?” One woman told the Liverpool Echo that her granddaughter came home mortified after her skirt height was inspected by a male teacher in front of male pupils.
Another parent told the news outlet, “My daughter came home in tears after his debacle.” One of the highest achievers in her year, never been in trouble in her life and is subject to this. Skirt at the knee and wear tights too. Young girls lined up at the door and were separated by the male staff! 2023, not 1823.” Specifically, the petition, launched by Lexi Pennington, claims the girls are being punished for wearing skirts above their knees.
The description states: “Parents during a cost-of-living crisis are being forced to buy new skirts or risk the children being suspended from school, in a school that constantly preaches the importance of students attending school and lessons they find suspension a suitable consequences which is completely contradictory to the school aim, school is supposed to prepare us for the workplace however when we see teachers in the school walking around their workplace with skirts not following these same rules it seems very unjust.”
The description added: “Also given the fact the pupils are being treated almost as animal being almost headed into a penned in section in the auditorium to be inspected seems very demeaning and almost inhumane to the female students being inspected by the male staff.”
“I understand the fact that some skirts are too short and incredibly revealing and are not suited to a school setting, however, unless these extreme violations occur, I don’t see why girls’ legs are much of a problem to the school community and how girls with skirts that are an inch above the top of the knee are deemed unacceptable and these perfectly fine skirts are being forced to be replaced which see is wasteful.” The petition argued there are more important issues, rather than trying to control skirt lengths.
Reacting, Ian Young, Rainford High’s principal, said the school had been concerned about the failure of a significant number of students to adhere to the standards and expectations laid down in the uniform policy.
Principal Young added that they have taken firm action to politely challenge their students around how they wear a uniform. He told the MailOnline: “No one has been suspended directly for not wearing the uniform correctly.” “Students have been suspended due to their conduct toward staff that is linked to the issue, but no one at all has been suspended for not wearing a skirt in line with the school policy.”
