Should other schools follow the trouser trend?

A letter sent by the head teacher to parents in December 2018 stated: ‘I am writing to inform you that the governing body have agreed to change the school uniform which will be introduced from September 2019. The predominant change we are making is that we are introducing trousers for everyone. This will ensure that students look smarter and that staff are not wasting valuable time dealing with uniform issues.’

After the announcement, one pupil petitioned to bring skirts back but she was unsuccessful.

One of the key issues cited in schools is the length of skirts. So the question I am asking is should Crofton School – and other local schools - become a trouser only schools too?

In the past couple of years, it has become more popular to wear trousers to school. A survey carried out with Year 10 pupils at Crofton School revealed that 50 per cent of girls already choose to wear trousers.

However, the survey did divide opinion.

Some pupils said they would “hate it to have to wear trousers as they feel more confident in skirts”.

However one respondent said: ‘I think that wearing trousers is a good idea and I would be excited to see it happen.’

Whilst people may feel trousers are more practical, a downside is that they can be uncomfortable to wear in the summer heat. However, a way to combat this would be for schools to issue a notice saying if the temperature goes above a certain point then students could wear their PE kits.

If Crofton were to look at this as a uniform change then one compromise could be to wear tailored shorts instead of a skirt as this still gives you the freedom and flexibility to wear either tights or socks depending on the weather.