Vocal Voices

It's happening again. Some schoolboys are turning up in skirts (as per the rules) as a protest against "sexist" uniform policies - good for them.

Come the warmer weather in many schools the girls can swap the cardigan, blouse and thick skirt uniform for a much lighter gingham dress, but the lads have to stick with jumper, shirt and long trousers.

Why can's schools be sensible?

Short trousers, virtually the same as ordinary ones but with the legs cut above the knee, and short sleeved shirts are perfectly acceptable. "Logo" versions and beach shorts should be a "no" but there are alternatives.

It's 2021 FCOL.

I saw this news item, and completely agree!

my only thought is, and I am not saying I agree or disagree, but what happens when they start work and have to wear trousers whereas women can wear dresses? Unfortunately to me its the downside of being born male. If we are talking small children say up to secondary school age, then I fail to see why they can't wear shorts. Unfortunately after the age of 11 it is hard to get smart shorts for boys, they are all just casual

Back in my day, it was a hanging matter if you were in the first year at my secondary school and were caught outside the school premises not wearing your cap ......

As for this lad, he lives in Oban for goodness sake - why didn't he just wear a kilt?

TheOstrich wrote:As for this lad, he lives in Oban for goodness sake - why didn't he just wear a kilt?

If he doesn't have a Kilt, then have you seen the price? He would not be allowed to wear just a kilt with a Ghille shirt and a pair of heavy boots. He'd be required to wear a decent shirt, tie, brogues and kilt socks with flashes. Contrary to popular belief, kilt socks are woollen, heavy and bloody hot in the summer. The flashes are elasticated and unless they are fairly tight, they fall down. Meaning hours of wear leave a line round your legs.

I have two kilts today and I've had 3 in total. When we bought my grandson's kilt outfit, complete, 3 years ago, a fairly cost effective one was £900. OK he got a tweed jacket and a more expensive heavyweight tartan which added £250 to the mix. But if you think about a child, they would need a new kilt every 2 years and new brogues every year, socks too. You can imagine the washing hassle of woollen socks when worn 5 days a week. Then, of course, kilt cleaning, he'd need two!

It's easy to say "just wear a kilt", but the realities of it are somewhat different. A friend of mine once said to me "but your kilt is not a BDM kilt". BDM said I? Yep, Births, Deaths and Marriages. I dance in my two so they get more use in a year than most people tend to get out of theirs in a decade. If they can still fit into it after a decade, although Kilts are belted and have a fair amount of "breathing room".

It is the principle that counts.

Many girls get the option of a summer uniform whereas the boys get same old. Some do not even get the chance of short sleeved shirts or relaxed tie rules.

Imagine the outcry from the BBC, Liberty, the SJWs and feminists if it was the other way round!

In our comprehensive school you were allowed to not wear a tie if you were wearing a polo necked jumper. Outside of the hottest summer days I went to school in a polo neck. The teachers said "you're mad". I said "I get my own way"! they hated it, but they could not do anything about it because it was their own rules.

Such is education.

I was at secondary school from 80-85 and every year the school council campaigned for girls to be allowed to wear trousers in Winter but they were never successful. They weren’t especially strict on uniform, for instance a lot of us wore plain white t shirts in our last couple of years, but refused to give an inch when it came to girls wearing trousers.

Fast forward to the secondary school that Tom and Joe went to and things had changed a lot. At the end of each academic year a booklet was sent out full of details and example pictures of what was and wasn’t allowed uniform and appearance wise. Blazers were only allowed to be removed in classrooms on the warmest of days, and only when the headmaster had made the decision.

JoM wrote:... every year the school council campaigned for girls to be allowed to wear trousers in Winter...

And yet another example of the inconsistencies.

M & B both went to the same secondary school. School blazer all year round, but...

B and the girls had three versions of "the uniform":
* Blouse, tie, pullover / cardigan, dark grey / black skirt, tights, sensible shoes for most of the time
* As above but with trousers in winter
* Lightweight summer dress, tights or ankle socks, flat heeled / sensible shoes

M and the boys had one uniform;
* Shirt, tie, pullover, dark grey or black trousers, sensible shoes

That nonsense persists in many schools to this day.

There are lightweight traditional style chinos (not cargo pants) for the boys and and plenty of logo free pique Polo shirts in various colours for both sexes to tie in with school colours.

As I said before, it's 2021 FCOL.

The wheels of education turn slowly. Unless there is political pressure that the education establishment agrees with. Then they can throw out just about everything in a few years.