School puts its proposed skirts ban on hold

A plan by a school to ban skirts in a bid to make uniform more gender-neutral has been paused after the head teacher received "discriminatory and bigoted" feedback.

On Monday, pupils at Honywood School in Coggeshall, Essex, were told they must wear only trousers or knee-length shorts from September.

But on Wednesday, head teacher James Saunders wrote to parents to say the policy had been put on hold following feedback.

He said he was still keen to collate people's views and added: "I feel we need a more productive framework, free from the emotive and polarised opinions that permeate society."

Mr Saunders said: "As a society, we do not always have to be on the opposite ends of the spectrum. Talking about 'liberal wokeness' at one extreme or a 'Victorian approach to discipline' on the other."

The school has asked parents and carers for their thoughts on both the existing uniform rules and the proposed ones.

The initial decision to ban skirts attracted criticism from some parents, first reported by the Colchester Gazette.

In its first letter sent to parents, the school said outlawing skirts would remove "ongoing challenges" and create a more "equitable, practical and affordable" dress code.

It added: "Over time, we have unfortunately experienced persistent issues with school skirts being worn incorrectly."

Department for Education guidance states that it is for schools to set uniform policies, and it encourages them to have dress codes that promote "good behaviour and discipline".

In a statement, Honywood School said it took the concerns of families seriously.

"It is disappointing that we have not been given time to respond in our normal community-minded way and that families feel this is a matter that needs reporting in the media," said the statement.

"We only wish families were more passionate and vocal about the real challenges schools are facing currently."

The school said it would work to achieve a "mutually accepted solution" and said the media was "not the appropriate platform" to address the issue.

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