Parents blast school over 'sexist' sock ban saying girls should not be forced to wear tights

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Parents have criticised a high school for banning girls from wearing socks with their skirts. The change is being introduced at both Moorside High School in Swinton and Ellesmere Park High School in Eccles, both in Salford and run by the Consilium Academies trust.

Dad Rob Irwin, whose daughter is in Year 10 at Moorside, says the school has been 'clamping down' on uniform and telling girls that their skirts are too short.

When his wife spoke to the school about the issue, he says staff told her that rules are in place to stop females getting unwanted attention. Read more: Home Bargains matching family Christmas pyjamas are causing a big problem The trust has not mentioned the length of skirts in its letter to parents and has instead focused on pupils needing to adhere to 'a professional dress code' that 'prepares them for future professional settings where appearance plays a role'.

But Rob says the letter is 'patronising' and 'camouflaging' what they're really doing, which is 'telling girls they need to cover their bare legs because males can't control themselves'. "This a step backwards and should not be happening in 2024, he said. "It's like going back to the 80s where if a woman was assaulted people would say 'well it's because of what you were wearing or how you look'. "There's been no consultation with parents whatsoever.