A male student at a high school in Stockport has gone to lessons in a skirt after teachers enforced a ‘no shorts’ rule on boys despite the hot weather.
In a letter sent to parents, teachers at Marple Hall School said that students ‘who wear the skirt uniform’ can choose to wear tights or ankle socks this week due to the heat.
But Taylor Gillon, 20, the sister of 13-year-old student Bodhi, said the rules did not make adjustments for those who were normally required to wear trousers to school.
Join our WhatsApp Top Stories and Breaking News group by clicking this link
After being sent home from the Marple school on two occasions in the past week by trying to alter his uniform due to the hot weather, Bodhi decided to take matters into his own hands by attending school in a skirt.
“Bodhi went into school without his blazer last Monday and got sent home to put it back on and come back in,” Taylor told the M.E.N. “I had told him that morning that there would be no point in him taking it because it was hot and he won’t be wearing it. It was about 30C that day.
“On Wednesday, he went in wearing shorts because of the heat and got sent home to put his trousers on. Prior to that, there was an email saying that girls could come in with skirts without tights on and short socks, so we thought he would be fine with shorts.
“We were told that shorts weren’t part of the uniform and weren’t allowed. Bodhi thought it was really unfair, so asked my mum to order a skirt for him so he could still be in uniform and be cooler in the weather.”
On Thursday (June 15), Bodhi attended class in the skirt. Taylor says only one teacher queried this with him, who asked why he was wearing a skirt.
“Whenever we spoke to the school about it, we were just told that shorts weren’t part of the uniform,” Taylor added. “Other schools have policies where you can wear shorts, it makes no sense.
“How are you going to concentrate when you’re sitting in a classroom sweating away? I just feel that it is one rule for one and one rule for another.”
Taylor says that Bodhi's uniform change has also inspired some of his fellow students to now consider taking a similar action themselves.
“Some of his mates are going to try and go into skirts now,” she says. “They want to do it as part of a silent protest. They don’t think it’s fair.”
In the letter to parents, which the M.E.N has seen, Marple Hall School said students ‘who wear the skirt uniform’ can choose to wear tights or ankle socks as an alternative during the hot weather but all students would still need to bring their blazers.
The letter said: “Due to the sustained higher temperatures, students who wear the skirt uniform may choose to wear either black or navy opaque tights or plain black or white ankle socks from today. No other colour or style of socks may be worn.
“A reminder that ankle socks must be completely plain: bows, frills or any other adornments are not permitted. Students must still bring their blazer to school.”
A spokesperson for Marple Hall School told the M.E.N: "We do expect students to continue to wear uniform in line with our expectations, but in periods of hot weather the school ensures that steps are taken to support students and promote their welfare.
"This includes encouraging students to bring drinks bottles and ensuring they have access to water coolers, encouraging students to stay in shaded areas at break times and ventilating and shading classrooms and allowing students to attend school without their blazer."
Marple Hall said full information on its uniform policy is available on its website.
Read more of today's top stories here
READ NEXT:
