UK school bans short skirts because they're 'distracting' to male teachers and pupils

Pupils have been banned from wearing short skirts at a Staffordshire school because they are distracting to male teachers and other pupils.

The headteacher of Trentham High School in Stoke-on-Trent, Dr Rowena Blencowe, feels she has been forced to take action after constantly seeing young girls rolling their skirts up in between classes, News Team has reported.

Describing it as “inappropriate,” Dr Blencowe added the “girls are coming in with skirts that just cover their bottoms.”

She said it’s a safeguarding issue and that, when the academic year starts in September, pupils who do not abide by the new rules will be sent home if they do not wear ‘business-like trousers’.

While some pupils welcomed the decision, others have said the move will be ‘impractical’ because of warm weather.

Parents have also been divided over the decision with one supporting the decision, saying teachers must be getting “fed-up” of having to put their efforts into telling pupils off about their dress-code – and losing out on valuable teaching time.

Another criticised the decision saying it’s “a shame” that the young girls haven’t had a say in the choice.

Speaking with The Independent, deputy head Laurence Morris described the media furore around the subject as “disconcerting” and expressed his surprise as to how a routine meeting led to this being a national issue.

Mr Morris added: “We don’t seek publicity – we’re not that kind of school. We want to focus on teaching and learning.

“We’re a good school making rapid improvements and want to ensure that the students do the best they can do.

“We don’t want to waste our time over the lengths of skirts.”

The move comes just weeks after a top private school, St Margaret’s School in Hertfordshire, also banned female pupils from wearing short skirts and ‘too much make-up’ in order to keep them ‘focused’.