Dear Mr B Chaloner and Uniform Policy Team,

My name is Fiona and I am the parent of Oscar, who is 13 years old and currently in Year 8. Over the past four weeks, Oscar and I have worked together to create a petition asking the school to review its current uniform policy. With the support of many other pupils, parents, and family members, the petition has now gathered almost 400 signatures: https://chng.it/9tpnzPDcTS

The specific issue we are raising is the current rule that boys must wear long black trousers all year round, while girls have the option to wear either trousers or skirts. This means girls are able to go bare-legged during the warmer months, helping them to regulate their temperature more easily, a choice boys are currently denied.

As parents, we understand the importance of a smart and unified appearance. However, we also believe that comfort, practicality and fairness should be key considerations in any uniform policy, especially given the changing climate. Summer temperatures are becoming more extreme and more frequent extreme weather events are happening. Wearing long trousers in this kind of heat can be uncomfortable, distracting, and potentially detrimental to pupils’ focus and wellbeing.

This isn’t a new discussion. In 2017, students at Isca Academy in Exeter protested their school’s shorts ban by wearing skirts and within days, the school agreed to trial tailored shorts after acknowledging that hotter weather is becoming more common. A similar situation occurred at Longhill High School in East Sussex, where boys also wore skirts during a heatwave to highlight the unfairness of the policy.

Some schools have gone even further. An academy in Essex recently updated its uniform policy to allow only trousers or shorts for all pupils - removing skirts altogether  - due to persistent issues with skirt length / rolling skirts up. While we’re not suggesting a change of that scale, it does demonstrate that schools can and do adapt in response to fairness, consistency, and practicality.

We are not asking for a radical overhaul, simply for boys to have the option to wear smart, school-approved tailored shorts in the warmer months, just as girls are able to dress in a way that helps them stay cool. This small change could:

• Improve comfort and focus during lessons;
• Create a more equal and inclusive uniform policy;
• Reflect the voices of the students and parents who are engaging positively with school policy.

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. We hope you’ll consider reviewing the current uniform policy and perhaps trialling a shorts option for boys during the summer term. We would welcome the opportunity to be part of any consultation or discussion.