A mum claims she was told her son could wear a skirt to school when she complained about a shorts ban.
Toni Hurst raised the issue with staff at Hazel Grove High School in Stockport when her son Tom Forster was put in detention for wearing shorts during the heatwave. She said a member of staff told her over the phone that 'boys are free to wear skirts instead of long trousers' and if the 13-year-old attended wearing shorts again, he would be put in isolation.
Try MEN Premium for FREE by clicking here for no ads, fun puzzles and brilliant new features
When she had a meeting in school the following day, she said staff elaborated, saying boys can wear skirts in certain circumstances, such as gender reassignment, and explained the reasons for not allowing shorts.
"They said they can wear their PE kits, which have shorts, once it's over 30 degrees, but there's no policy stating that," said Toni, from Hazel Grove. "And they said they can't monitor it, to make sure they have plain black shorts, but can monitor plain black trousers."
The mum-of-four added: "She said Tom couldn't wear a skirt unless he was going through gender reassignment and that it had probably been said as a throw away comment, which is untrue as we had a lengthy conversation about it."
Following the meeting, which eventually saw Tom given permission to wear shorts because his mum said he has eczema, Toni launched a petition for pupils across the whole of Stockport to have the option of wearing them in the summer months.
It comes after another boy from Stockport attended Marple Hall School wearing a skirt because of its 'no shorts' rule.
In the petition, which has amassed 300+ signatures, mum-of-four Toni stated: "The decision to not allow shorts when temperatures have reached 30 degrees Celsius is madness. I believe it's really not in our children’s best interest to be overdressed, uncomfortable and overheated in school in the summer.
"Wearing school shorts will not affect the children's ability to learn. This petition is for every child in a Stockport school (as teacher has told me it's across Stockport schools) regardless of gender, to have the option to wear shorts in the summer months."
A spokesperson for Hazel Grove High School said: "It is important that our students are comfortable to help them embrace all the learning opportunities that come their way at our school.
“That is why we take a sensible approach to uniform in hot weather conditions. On very warm days we let our students know that ties and blazers are not required. We also give students opportunities to stay out of the heat during the summer months, we encourage students to drink plenty of water and consider activity levels during PE lessons.
“In some rare cases, in relation to a medical need, then we may make slight adjustments to uniform on an individual basis.'
Does your child's school allow pupils to wear shorts in the hot weather? Can they take their blazers off in class? Let us know in the comments.
