The skirt length requirement is said to be ‘disruptive’ (Picture: Paul Gillis)
Students at a South Gloucestershire secondary school are protesting the enforcement of the length of a girls’ school uniform skirt.
Dozens of pupils gathered outside Yate Academy on Monday calling for the end of a ‘discriminatory’ uniform rule they say has ‘disproportionately affected girls’.
The protest comes after two pupils launched a petition claiming that restrictions to skirt lengths has ‘disrupted learning’ and resulted in ‘undue stress and agitation among the student body’.
Parents claimed that following the protests, the school locked the gates and their kids were not allowed to enter for classes.
Nearly 1,000 people have signed the online petition which went live days ago.
The authors wrote: ‘The recent enforcement of a policy dictating that skirts must touch the knee is both unnecessary and unfairly targets girls.
The skirt rules have sparked outrage in the South Gloucestershire community (Picture: BPM Media)
‘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.’
Pictures from the protest show pupils holding signs with messages such as ‘Our skirts should not be more important then our learning’.
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Yate Academy’s uniform policy says: ‘Yate Academy has a uniform policy which all students are expected to follow. Our policy expects students to take pride in their appearance and emphasises that students dress in a professional manner, ensuring that students are able focus fully on their learning.
‘Like many other schools, we have a uniform policy which has very clear boundaries. We expect uniform to be consistent because we know that this reduces the chance of social exclusion based on what students are wearing, reducing peer pressure and increasing students’ self-esteem.
The policy adds: ‘Uniform is checked at the front door as students arrive to school. If students are wearing an incorrect item of uniform they will be taken aside by a member of staff and it will be explained what needs to be corrected.’
Yate Academy told MailOnline that if parents have concerns about any aspect of school life, they should contact the school directly.
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Pupils say the ‘discriminatory’ uniform rule has ‘disproportionately affected girls’.