Pupils and parents in Yate hit out after crackdown on uniform policy

Students protested outside Yate Academy on Tuesday morning following a clampdown on the uniform code for girl's skirts.

According to school policy, skirts must be red and navy tartan, have a length of 22 or 24 inch and must be on or below the knee. 

They also must not be rolled up or shortened.

But parents and students have been left upset after a crackdown at the start of the new term amid claims that girls have been removed from classes if skirts were deemed to be too short.  

Two pupils have started a Change.org petition which has received more than 1,000 signatures calling for the school to 'immediately revise and end the implementation of the discriminatory skirt rules that have disproportionately affected girls at school.' 

The petition states: "We are asking Yate Academy to ease up on restrictions to skirt lengths as it has disrupted learning and resulted in undue stress and agitation among the student body."

Parents have also hit out at the rules, with one, Ben Castle saying: "My daughter has worn the same skirt since September and has never been questioned. 

"It was my understanding from newsletters in November that some students were bending the rules wearing the skirts higher than the knee and there would be a crackdown in January. 

"As my child never had an issue I had no reason to believe it applied to her so she wore the usual skirt on the first day back in January. 

"She was checked by a teacher as she arrived and her uniform was approved. 

"It wasn't until break time the same day a different teacher checked again and deemed it not acceptable.

"This meant she was removed from her afternoon lesson with a number of other girls.

"I contacted the school for further clarity on the rule as they say it must sit on or below the knee but seem to be scrutinising to the nearest centimetre. 

"It my understanding a lot of teachers are also upset by the latest events as they are reprimanding students with perfect records.

"My daughter has never had a detention throughout her education and is now stressed about getting one because of this."

Another parent said: "Removing children from lessons is disruptive to their education and they are missing out on important lessons and teaching. 

"A lot of children have lost the love of attending school and the love of learning."

Another said: "When I had a phone call I could her my child crying in the background, she was told her skirt was too short.

"It took more than three teachers to come to that conclusion but the outrageous things was, the next day she was told by two teachers that it was fine."

Yate Academy declined to comment when approached by the Gazette however their websites states: "Our policy expects students to take pride in their appearance and emphasises that students dress in a professional manner, ensuring that students are able focus fully on their learning.

"Like many other schools, we have a uniform policy which has very clear boundaries.

"Uniform is checked at the front door as students arrive to school. 

"Like many other schools, we have a uniform policy which has very clear boundaries.

"We expect uniform to be consistent because we know that this reduces the chance of social exclusion based on what students are wearing, reducing peer pressure and increasing students’ self-esteem."

The petition can be viewed at - tinyurl.com/szjmcdnz