Latest news with #NewhouseAcademy
The Sun
14-07-2025
- General
- The Sun
Fury as school BANS skirts forcing all girls to wear trousers & ‘look like boys' with ‘no right to express femininity'
PARENTS have expressed their outrage after a school has announced it will ban skirts. Newhouse Academy in Heywood, Manchester, will be implementing the trousers-only policy from September. 2 Parents were told that "boys and girls will be expected to wear plain black school trousers". It is a move that will "move away from skirts being a part of the girl's uniform." The school claims that the policy has been a success in other schools. Parents have expressed their outrage following the announcement. One mum told the Manchester Evening News that she "would never have considered this school" for her daughter if she'd known about the change. They claimed that the school hadn't held adequate consultations on the decision. One felt that it "disregards the female students and their right to express their femininity." The parent felt that forcing girls to wear trousers and "look like a boy" failed to "embrac[e] the two genders equally". In a statement, Newhouse Academy said they were "committed to working in partnership with our parents and community about important decisions that impact our young people". While they have no legal obligation to consult parents, they said they had been consulting with the local community "for months". It included a formal listening period during which people could put forward their opinions. Following the first consultation, the response was mostly positive, however, new parents felt they had been excluded. The school then extended the consultation to allow all parents to express their views which they said again was mostly positive. Staff were also involved in the change, in addition to the student council and relevant governors. The decision was also informed by student opinion. Students were even allowed to decide the type of trousers they will have as their new uniform. They added: "We have done more than is required of us because we feel it is right to do so." While they did acknowledge that some people disagreed with the decision, they said ultimately it had been met with support. It comes following several uniform changes across schools in a bid to maintain higher standards. Another trousers-only policy was put in place at Fred Longworth High School in Wigan. This decision was implemented in an attempt to curb the trend of girls rolling up their skirts which had become a "serious safeguarding concern". They had previously changed the uniform to a pinafore style dress but this didn't dissuade the girls from changing the length of the dresses. Last year, Buile Hill Academy in Salford banned socks, instead insisting that female students wear tights with their skirts. The same policy at Moorside High School in Swindon was brought in to maintain a "professional dress code" according to Consilium Academies Trust which manages the school.
Telegraph
14-07-2025
- General
- Telegraph
Parents criticise school skirt ban that restricts girls' ‘femininity'
Parents at a secondary school have pushed back against a new uniform policy they say does not treat boys and girls equally. Newhouse Academy, in Greater Manchester, announced earlier this year that it would ban skirts. Parents complained, and a consultation was held, but the school is going ahead with its trousers-only policy, despite the objections. One parent told the Manchester Evening News that 'parents should challenge this ruling'. The parent said: 'This ban disregards the female students and their right to express their femininity. 'Schoolgirls as young as 11 forced to wear trousers and look like a boy is not embracing the two genders equally.' Another parent added she 'would never have considered this school' for her daughter, who starts in September, had she known about the change. The school told families that from the autumn, both 'boys and girls will be expected to wear plain black school trousers' as it intends to 'move away from skirts being a part of the girls' uniform'. It said: 'While there is no legal demand for us to consult on uniform changes, we wholly recognise that it is important that any such decisions are not made in isolation. We had a formal listening period that anyone was able to respond to. 'We have worked closely with the student council, staff have been given an opportunity to have their say and it has been discussed at the relevant levels in our governance structure. 'We even extended our original listening period to allow more parents to share their views. In fact, the type of trousers that students will wear has also been decided by the students themselves. 'We are sorry that a small number of people do not agree with this uniform change, but it is a decision that we have had significant support for. It is also something that has worked well at other schools.' The move towards trousers for all students is not uncommon, and several other schools have faced backlash for the policy. The Telegraph reported in 2019 that Priory School in Lewes, East Sussex, had introduced a similar change, requiring all students to wear trousers from Year 7 in order to create a gender-neutral uniform. Similarly, Huttoft Primary and Nursery School in Lincolnshire removed a red gingham dress from its uniform, originally saying it was to create a gender-neutral uniform. Following a backlash, it claimed it was to 'reduce costs for parents'.
