Parents have been left furious after the secondary school once attended by Piers Morgan banned skirts to make its uniform ‘gender neutral’ for transgender students.
Priory School, a mixed co-ed for pupils aged 11 to 16 in Lewes, East Sussex, said it also brought in the rule following ‘complaints from parents about short skirts’.
All new Year 7 pupils this term must now wear grey trousers instead of grey skirts, while students in Year 8 to Year 11 are welcome to adopt the new uniform.
Priory School pupils Tilly and Paige in the new uniform after girls were banned from wearing skirts and introduced a gender neutral uniform to accommodate transgender students
DailyMail.com U.S. Editor-at-Large Morgan, who attended the school’s sixth form, told MailOnline: ‘It’s disappointing to see one of my old schools getting sucked into this gender neutrality nonsense, which is being driven by a tiny minority of people.
‘Let boys be boys and girls be girls, and stop confusing them in this ridiculous way.
‘I presume all female Priory teachers will now also be banned from wearing skirts on gender neutral grounds (which would also be absurd) – or is it one rule for them and another for the students?’
School headmaster Tony Smith said he brought in the rule because of complaints over short skirts and to make the uniform gender neutral for transgender students.
He said: ‘Pupils have been saying why do boys have to wear ties and girls don’t, and girls have different uniform to boys? So we decided to have the same uniform for everybody from Year 7.
‘Another issue was that we have a small but increasing number of transgender students and therefore having the same uniform is important for them.’
Headteacher Tony Smith wanted the uniform to be gender neutral for transgender pupils
But a mother-of-four with a girl at the school said: ‘My daughter said she has got a gender and it’s female so being gender neutral when she has got a gender is a big deal for her, as she proud to be a girl.
‘I’m not saying the skirts being worn last year weren’t obscene, but it hasn’t stopped the issues as those children are in the school for the next four years and are not being made to wear trousers.
‘If the headteacher was going to bring this in, he should have done it across all years. As a mum I feel girls should be allowed to wear skirts if they want to. For me it’s not gender neutral because they are not allowing boys to wear skirts.’
Her daughter Tilly, 11, who wrote a letter to the headteacher asking him to explain the changes, said: ‘Girls have different bodies to boys and we should have the right to wear skirts. I think girls should have a choice.’
The school has been blasted by others for the ‘restrictive’ move.
Kerry Gold Smith said: ‘This gets my back right up. This headmaster makes no sense at all, he’s doing this mainly for the small amount of transgender kids he has at the school.
Priory School, a mixed co-ed for pupils aged 11 to 16 in Lewes, East Sussex, said it also brought in the rule following ‘complaints from parents about short skirts’
‘What about everyone else? He is restricting them from being who they want to be for the very small minority.
‘Obviously he is unable to control the skirts being too short on some girls and so he has found an easy way out.
The school counts DailyMail.com U.S. Editor-at-Large Piers Morgan among its alumni
‘If you were any good as a head, you’d have them all under control and doing and wearing the correct length skirts.’
Former pupils also lambasted the decision. One said: ‘I think ultimately this is a bad decision made by my former school, because it is about restriction – it’s PC-mad.
‘It’s great the school want to do their best to ensure the comfortability of any transgender students they may have there, but to restrict other students of something isn’t the answer and will only breed more division and frustration.
‘Particularly as this only a Year 7 initiative. Starting secondary school is daunting enough and often the older children are the ones you look up to for guidance, how are students supposed to feel when they can’t dress like their older counterparts?
‘If this had happened when I was there, I could imagine someone identifying as gender neutral being a victim of bullying and being picked on. Kids can be harsh and anything they don’t understand, they judge and pick on.
‘More education and understanding of this issue is needed in schools, rather than just one off decisions likely to only highlight these differences.’
Another mother with a daughter at the school – rated good by Ofsted – said: ‘The hypocrisy is what gets me the most.
‘If girls dressing differently than boys is now to be considered sexist, then it is equally sexist to have female teachers wearing skirts and not wearing ties.
‘If they want this, they must live the values they force on others and go fully gender free. My daughter and her friends are appalled by this.
‘The school is creating a hostile environment for girls by treating their views with contempt. There was no consultation. It was just imposed by the head.’
But some parents backed the school. One mother said: ‘I’m not in favour of uniform at all, but if you’re going to have a uniform I think it is great it’s gender neutral.
‘I know other parents feel it’s a boys uniform that has been imposed on girls and a real gender-neutral uniform would have choice. But I personally don’t mind.’
And the father of a Year 7 girl said: ‘Women have died and fought for the right to dress the way they wanted to and it seemed to us their rights were taken away.
‘But when it was explained to us that it was about inappropriate dressing, I think it was the right decision to make.’
Year 7 boys and girls also no longer wear blazers as these have been replaced by navy jumpers, which they will continue to wear with ties and white shirts.
Mr Smith said: ‘Transgender students are only a small aspect of why we have made this decision.
‘There are five or six trans students at the school and we have a number of other students transitioning, mainly from year nine upwards.
‘I think in many ways, it’s unfair citing that as the key reason – it is not, it’s one of many reasons. I do feel it is important and it’s about having a clear policy.
‘It came from a range of issues, but transgender students did say they felt there needed to be a uniform which was acceptable.
‘We also had a number of comments about students wearing indecent uniform outside of school from both the local community and parents.
‘The new uniform is easy for parents to purchase and it’s not complex or expensive – it’s simple, and that’s what the word uniform means, it’s the same for everybody.
‘This will then allow staff to concentrate on teaching and not uniform issues.
‘It’s a step in the right direction – I’m not naive enough to think there will be no issues, but I made the decision around this school which is what is important to us.’
Mermaids UK, a charity which supports transgender children and their parents, has backed the move, which it says sends ‘a clear message of acceptance’.
The school said the current uniform is not always worn ‘as respectfully as it should be’
Its chief executive Susie Green said: ‘Mermaids welcomes any initiatives taken by schools to recognise that children and young people are disclosing in increasing numbers degrees of gender variance.
‘Adding gender neutral uniforms is one of many simple ways that schools can help any pupils struggling with their gender in any way, plus sends a clear message of acceptance and inclusivity.
‘The recent report from Stonewall highlights the very real challenges transgender pupils face in school, including bullying and death threats.
‘Schools need to take a clear line to accept and embrace all diversity, no matter how small the numbers affected.’
Morgan – who spoke out against gender neutral clothing earlier this week – attended Chailey Secondary School in Lewes followed by sixth form at Priory School.
* Had an issue with school uniform? Please email: mark.duell@mailonline.co.uk *
Pupils go home in their droves from school rather than facing another day in isolation over strict uniform rules
- Pupils at Newcastle’s George Stephenson High School were put in ‘timeout’
- Children turned up for start of term in the ‘wrong’ shoes, trousers or skirts
- Dispute has now seen the PE hall and spare classrooms filled with students
- Headmaster insists school’s uniform policy is important and has not changed
Jemma Cree, 34, whose daughter Jessy Roache, 13, was placed in isolation for not wearing the correct length dress at school
Pupils went home in their droves from a school today rather than face another day in isolation after falling foul of strict rules over uniform.
Many pupils at George Stephenson High School in Newcastle-upon-Tyne were put in ‘timeout’ after being told they had the wrong shoes, trousers or skirts.
The dispute has now seen the PE hall and spare classrooms filled with students as the isolation room cannot handle the increasing number of banished pupils.
From 10am today groups of pupils began to pour out of the school gates in the Killingworth area of the city, having been told their uniforms were unsuitable.
Many pupils have fallen foul of regulations on footwear, skirts and trousers that have been introduced this term, as MailOnline reported yesterday.
Receptionist Jemma Cree, 34, is a mother whose daughter Jessy Roach, 13, was put in isolation for a skirt yesterday that was said to breach the regulations.
The pupil was told her skirt was too short and too tight and that she must change it for a longer, looser version.
Ms Cree claimed teachers told Jessy that if her mother was unable to buy a new skirt that night, she would not be sent to isolation – as long as she brought a note from her mother explaining one would be purchased as soon as possible.
Amanda Parker, pictured with her son Scott, 14, who was placed in isolation for wearing incorrect footwear at George Stephenson High School in Newcastle-upon-Tyne
However, when she arrived at school today with a note from her mother she was allegedly sent to isolation anyway.
She rang her mother who said she would rather bring Jessy home than have her spend a second day in isolation.
Mrs Cree said: ‘My daughter was one of the pupils isolated yesterday. It was ridiculous. It’s an absolute joke. The day is wasted – they don’t learn anything in isolation.
‘Teachers get to wear whatever they want while pupils have to abide by these strict, unnecessary rules. Jessy’s missing out on important work.
‘I’ve sent her back in the same thing this morning because I didn’t have time last night. I couldn’t find anything in Jessy’s size online because they are asking for such specific things.
‘A lot of the shops have run out of uniform now, it’s a nightmare. The school needs to concentrate more on other more important problems.
‘I’m late for work now, it is ridiculous. They told me to write a note, I did and they have still sent her to isolation.
‘It’s just silly, the skirt is brand new and absolutely fine, there’s nothing indecent about it.’
Jessy added: ‘I have a note and they still said I had to go into isolation. They said if I had a note it would be fine. We all had to queue up and get inspected today.
‘I’d much rather actually be in school because I am missing important work. While we are in isolation we are given work to do, but it’s not the same as being in class.’
Julie Haley and her 14-year-old daughter Elizabeth Jenkins, who was given a ‘timeout’ because of her skirt, which was ‘too short’
Parents were sent an ‘approved uniform’ list last term listing regulated footwear, skirts and trousers available for students.
Morgan Bolton, 15, was sent to isolation for wearing the same uniform she has had for the last two years.
Her father, scaffolder Jeff Bolton, 36, had to leave work today to pick his daughter up because he would rather his daughter was at home.
Miss Bolton appears on a promotional poster for the school in the same uniform she was wearing this morning.
Mr Bolton said: ‘I’m fuming. She’s worn the same thing she’s worn for two years. You’re there to learn. I tried to compromise and the school said ‘no’.
‘I don’t want her to be out of school. It’s not right to have to come out of work to pick your children up from school.
‘I said I would buy new shoes, but can’t afford them right away. The school have said she can’t be in the classroom until she has them.
‘I don’t know what I am going to do. I did not want her sitting in isolation all day, so I picked her up.’
The 15 year-old added: ‘I think it’s stupid, we are supposed to have our own personalities but look exactly the same.
‘I have been told I am going to have to buy new shoes before tomorrow, but don’t know how that’s going to happen so quickly. I’d rather actually be in school today. I’m starting my exams.’
Headmaster Ian Wilkinson has insisted the school’s uniform policy has not changed
Parent Tara Irving, 40 said: ‘We can’t afford to get anymore pairs of shoes. I have not got enough money to buy another pair of shoes.
‘My son is mortified. He’s not meant to be getting hassle. It’s the first day of school, he just started. He’s in year seven.
‘He has been told his shoes, which are plain black Kicker trainers, are unsuitable.
‘He has been threatened with isolation today and yesterday. I haven’t got any money to buy new shoes at the moment, but I suppose they will have to be replaced at some point.’
Yesterday, Julie Haley told how her 14-year-old daughter Elizabeth Jenkins was given a timeout because of her skirt, which was ‘too short’.
Mrs Haley, a 42-year-old carer, said: ‘Elizabeth was wearing a plain black pencil skirt, just above the knee. Apparently it was ‘inappropriate’ but I don’t understand why.
‘It’s a plain black skirt and meets their requirements. The skirt is of acceptable length, smart and certainly not designer in any way. It has no revealing slits.’
Full-time mother Amanda Parker, 34, was outraged when her son, Scott, 14, returned home and told her he had spent the entire day in isolation because of his plain black shoes.
The educational task set for all pupils of different ages and all abilities was an essay on ‘danger’.
Mrs Parker said: ‘He was put in isolation yesterday and they were going to keep him in again today. It’s a disgrace, they’re there to learn.
The school’s headmaster said staff were ‘really disappointed by the number of students not wearing the full correct uniform on the first day of our new term’
‘The teachers are going around wearing everything the pupils are getting told off for.
‘I understand uniform has got to be within reason but style of shoe is ridiculous. I refuse to buy more shoes.
‘The pair he has were £56 and I have two other children. I’m on my own with three kids, I can’t buy more shoes. I think they’ve taken it too far.
‘They had to write three pages on a ‘dangerous situation’, if you were in a dangerous situation what would you do?’ How is that going to help my son?
‘He said it was a complete waste of a day. I did not know my son had been in isolation until he told me.’
Mrs Parker tried to resolve the issue with the school but has received no response after going into the school herself.
She added: ‘I waited 45 minutes to see a member of staff. Loads of parents have not been getting phone calls back.
‘I’d rather he stayed at home than sat in the sports hall. How can they be working to their level if they all get set the same thing to do?
‘If he had white trainers or was wearing a ridiculous colour I’d understand but it’s plain black. I don’t see the issue especially when the teachers are wearing stiletto heels and tight dresses but girls have to have their ankles covered.
‘It should be set by example and they’re not doing that. Now he has missed a day of education because of black shoes, learning useless information for just a pair of shoes.
‘I’m going to keep him off until it’s resolved. He’s got a laptop at home, it’s better than writing about danger.’
The school stressed parents had been warned a more stringent approach to enforcing uniform policy would be in place from the start of the new term
The Year 10 pupil spent the day in the PE hall because of his inappropriate £56 plain black trainers.
Scott said: ‘I didn’t learn anything from the exercise. There were around 100 pupils in there, both sports halls were full. I’m more anxious for the rest of Year 10 now, it’s a big year.’
Headmaster Ian Wilkinson has insisted the school’s uniform policy has not changed.
He said: ‘Our uniform is an essential part of our identity and it helps to project the best possible image of the school, reinforcing good behaviour and with an established link to high educational attainment in the classroom.
‘This was agreed with the full support of our governors and meant that anyone coming to school in trainers, denim jackets, hoodies, and other non-uniform items of clothing would be temporarily taken out of lessons and into the student support base until the situation could be resolved.’
Mr Wilkinson added that this week was not the first time parents had been told about the stricter approach.
He added: ‘We have been communicating this to parents since last May to make sure that everyone understood our approach.
‘We were therefore really disappointed by the number of students not wearing the full correct uniform on the first day of our new term.
‘We recognise this is not the ideal start, however, the vast majority did attend wearing the correct uniform and we remain committed to enforcing the policy as stated.’