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- February 12, 2025
Dear Parents and Carers,
I write to you in regard to our move towards trousers for all from September 2025. The expectation is that all students will wear trousers for school from September 2025. We are delighted to see an increase in the number of girls already wearing appropriate school trousers; however, we continue to receive a number of queries about the styles of trousers that will be appropriate for school from students and parents who are looking to make the switch to trousers now. We have also received helpful feedback from parents and students. Thank-you for this. We are working with students to get this right.
One thing we are very keen to do is keep uniform costs down. To this end, we are not insisting on a school-branded trouser. Instead, we are recommending suitable styles of trouser. The images below illustrate the styles that will be most appropriate for school, and which are being sourced by our suppliers. We also have some pictures of the styles as worn by some of our students. I hope you agree, they look very smart. We know from feedback that there are a range of other options available on the market, but which vary in quality and type of materials, including hybrid and blended materials. This does create a potential grey area. To help clarify, trousers should be plain, black, smart and business-like in either a straight or flared style.
It is equally important to clarify further what will not be appropriate:
- Jeans/ denim
- Leggings
- Jogging/ sports style
- Cropped
- Shiny/ leather look/ PVC, satin or leather
- Ribbed
- Belted or large buttons
- Linen
- Corduroy
- Skinny fit (drainpipe style)
- Combat
Our rationale
I also need to re-iterate again the reasons why we have decided to make this change and why we are making it now. For too long the issue of rolled up skirts, and subsequently rolled up dresses has become, for too many, a blatant refusal to follow a basic school rule. Many of our students tell us that due to peer pressure, they also feel compelled to follow suit. All this means that as a school we spend far too long policing basic uniform issues instead of focusing on our core purpose of teaching your children. The short length of dresses also poses a modesty problem which in turn can present safeguarding concerns both inside and outside of school.
We have also had to deal with a recent spate of students deliberately ripping their school tights which is proving costly for parents to continually replace them. The introduction of trousers will remove all of these barriers and is inclusive to all.
The trousers set the right tone as part of a smart, professional and business-like uniform which is appropriate for school. In turn this is conducive to a positive environment for learning. Please remember that as a school we also have a role to play in preparing students for the workplace. The fact of the matter is that many jobs in many sectors have some kind of dress code that employees have to adhere to, whether this be for health and safety reasons or to present a professional and corporate look. We are teaching children that in life there are rules, and sometimes, children just have to learn to follow instructions and adhere to rules. It is no coincidence that many of the students who push the boundaries on uniform are also very often those that push the boundaries on other matters too. The rules make it clear of what our expectations are. If one thing is allowed to slip, other things tend to follow.
Yours sincerely,
Mr P Davies
Headteacher
Appropriate styles
