A school’s efforts to enforce knee-length skirts have been branded ‘draconian’ by parents and sparked mass protests among pupils.
Girls at Rainford High School in St Helens, Merseyside, say they have been routinely herded into a hall for uniform inspections where staff including male teachers check their skirt length with tape measures.
Multiple parents have said their daughters were ‘humiliated’ by the experience, which left some in tears.
One mum claims to have heard staff remarking ‘I can see your knickers’ to girls as they arrived in the morning.
Hundreds of pupils have walked out of lessons in protest at the measures, with boys turning up wearing skirts in solidarity.
The school’s headteacher said complaints will be investigated but blamed the ‘problem’ on ‘challenging’ pupils resisting its long-standing uniform policy.
He has not commented on the inspections but appeared to admit staff had been keeping tally on how long girls were wearing their skirts.
Lisa Cooper, 40, who has a 15-year-old daughter at the school, said: ‘As my daughter walked into school there was a line of teachers looking the girls up and down and deciding if the skirt is a suitable length.
‘If they passed they were allowed to go to registration/form. If they didn’t pass they were forced to line up again separately in front of everyone.
‘My daughter said she felt humiliated, targeted, violated and upset and that there were young girls who were 11-12 years old, crying.
‘They were then taken to the school hall and lectured and further inspected and judged by four male members of staff, including the head.
‘My daughter has been given two after school detentions this week for her skirt length.’
Read More: Boys wear skirts to school to protest checks on girls’ uniforms by male teachers
