24th June 2017 1:00
By Blue Tutors
In a coordinated effort, spanning every year group, boys at the Isca academy school in Exeter wore skirts to school to protest the strict uniform policy. The uniform does not allow shorts, even in hot weather, however skirts are allowed although intended for female students. With the hottest June on record in 40 years, students had complained that girls were able to wear skirts but requiring full length trousers for boys was too hot, with temperatures passing the 30 °C mark. Teachers responded, jokingly, to their request by saying that the boys were free to wear skirts but shorts are not allowed in the uniform policy.
One student had been excluded three times for wearing shorts to school and decided to take the recommendation literally. Initially a handful of male students borrowed skirts from friends, siblings and girlfriends; the next day they were joined by over 50 boys wearing skirts to cool down in the summer heat, none of whom were reprimanded or excluded.
Their protest appears to have been successful after picking up social media attention both nationally and internationally. The head teacher conceded that as warmer weather becomes more frequent, to cater for such exceptional circumstances, from next academic year they may introduce shorts as part of the official uniform, but not before consulting parents and students.
Separate summer uniforms used to be very common, but have declined in recent years as they put an added financial pressure on parents to provide an extra uniform for only a few weeks of the year. Some schools do have shorts as part of their official uniform but others, including Isca, take the approach of relaxing the normal rules a little to accommodate. “Our summer uniform allows students not to wear their jumper or blazer. Also, recognising the recent temperatures, students have also been allowed not to wear ties, to have the top button on their shirts undone, and to wear their shirts untucked if they are feeling very hot,” the school said. It stated that while it is looking into changing the regulations for next year, changes to the uniform with such little notice during this school year would put an undue financial burden on certain parents and it is fairer to make all students wear trousers.