We are two students from Yate Academy and this is a petition calling on Yate Academy and the Greenshaw Learning Trust to immediately revise and end the implementation of the discriminatory ‘skirt rules’ that have disproportionately affected girls at school. 

We are asking the Yate Academy faculty to ease up on restrictions to skirt lengths, as it has  disrupted learning, which they claim to value, and has resulted in undue stress and agitation among the student body. We were told on the first day back that not only are our bodies objectifiable but are unacceptable. They claim it is because they wish to ensure all school rules are enforced equally, however, there are underlying issues that have arisen from this, even if it were not intended. There is no regard for personal preference or comfortability. If one single inch above the knee affects education or discipline, then we are doomed. We ask for equality, because apparently we do not have a say in our personal appearance as we are still in the British school system. 

The recent enforcement of a policy dictating that skirts must touch the knee is both unnecessary and unfairly targets girls. This rule has been enforced with undue severity, resulting in disruption to the learning environment. Today, countless girls were removed from lessons for extended periods, solely to address skirt length discrepancies. This contradicts the school's commitment to disruption-free learning and creates unnecessary discomfort and embarrassment for the affected students. These regulations not only disrupt the learning environment but also perpetuate objectification and gender-based discrimination. We really don't need to be sexualising the inch above a girls’ knee. 

These regulations are not only unnecessary but also show a clear bias against female students. The enforcement predominantly affects girls and is an example of unconscious yet evident sexism. Now imagine this the other way around. Imagine subjecting boys to wear skirts due to minor uniform discrepancies. It would rightly be deemed unacceptable. Yet, forcing girls into trousers, making them uncomfortable, against their will is deemed permissible, highlighting the gender discrimination embedded in these rules. There are plenty of occasions which would cause someone to want to wear a skirt. For example, many students chose to wear skirts during their period to feel more safe. However, is it too much to just want to not need to fight for our femininity?

Moreover, the implementation of these ‘skirt examinations’ is objectifying and causes distress among the student body. Recently, the school attempted to create a ‘skirt line’ outside of the school. Before entering, all people wearing a skirt would be segregated into a queue where their skirts were examined. This rightfully caused outrage amongst parents and students and the school was quickly forced to backtrack. And yet they're now pushing for more focus on these pointless and minor uniform details. 

Forbidding a skirt due to its length also requires a solution, as not everyone feels wholly comfortable in the trousers provided on the first day back at school after the winter holidays for everyone wearing an ‘inappropriate’ skirt. Therefore, the parents of the student might feel pressure to buy another skirt, from which arises an issue that is colossal in this debate, as the school uniform is expensive, with the whole complete uniform costing around £200. The skirt alone costs £24.75, which is pricey to families struggling economically. This begs to question how uniform even provides a just starting position for students, as replacements for any uniform are unlikely for many students. So we ask, is the sake of throwing away a perfectly acceptable skirt in any other scenario constructive to the education and wellbeing of students? 

Attacking skirt length only calls to question why this school feels the need to exert such immeasurable control over the minds and bodies of students. It promotes the idea that school must dictate every part of life, including the visibility of an inch of leg. Why must students bow to submission under the threat of expulsion, rather than defend their bodily autonomy, as it is forbidden to ‘argue back’.

Understanding the necessity of such rules, we acknowledge why uniform regulations are in place. These rules ensure that all students are under the same expectations and it discourages bullying on the terms of economic status. However, there is a clear boundary on what is understandable and what is clearly an exaggerated mandating of student appearance. The school only wishes to establish a certain ‘look’, to convince visitors of its prestige, whereas it only convinces us, the pupils, of its ignorant lack of respect for student opinion on their own bodies. We are aware of the need for regulations in attire, however, regulating every single aspect screams autocratic and unnecessary. This not only induces a false illusion of the real world outside of school, in careers and businesses, this isolation from reality creates a singularity among a lifetime, as what we experience at school rarely reflects the true human experience outside of the education system in the UK.

We demand an immediate end to these unjust and disruptive ‘skirt rules’, urging Yate Academy and the Greenshaw Learning Trust to revise their uniform policies in favour of fair and inclusive regulations that do not disproportionately target girls at school. 

Please join us in calling for an end to these sexist, disruptive, and unnecessary ‘skirt rules’, not only at Yate Academy but also across the Greenshaw Learning Trust.

Thank you for your support in promoting fairness and equality within our school community.