Parents have become embroiled in a row with a high school in Trafford over a new uniform policy which has been branded 'sexist' and 'unhygienic.'
Students at Ashton on Mersey Academy, which is part of the Dean Trust, have been told they must wear 'plain black tights' whenever they wear a skirt - a decision which has been blasted by scores of parents.
Some students have claimed they were told the rule had been introduced to stop 'girls being sexualised' at school. Concerns have also been raised that the uniform policy could be "unhygienic" - particularly during warm weather.
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Bosses at the school in Sale say the uniform policy will be relaxed during high temperatures, but parents have blasted the rule as '"ridiculous" and are calling for it to be reversed.
One mum, who asked to remain anonymous, said she was "disgusted" by the change in policy, which states skirts must be no shorter than 5cm above the knee cap and must be worn with plain black tights.
"My daughter mainly wears tights for school anyway due to body confidence issues but we finally found her some socks that fitted her calf perfectly and stopped just at the knee," she said, speaking to the M.E.N.
"Then we got told that apparently the school would be banning socks from September. My daughter was told by her form tutor that one of the main reasons socks would be banned was due to them 'sexualising' their legs.
"We were told for weeks that no changes were planned, then on the last week of term the changes were confirmed. Personally I think it's sexist and if part of their reasoning is that the boys issues contribute to it then it's the boys who need educating not the girls."
A post on a local community Facebook group discussing the new policy has attracted over 200 comments, with many local residents and parents expressing their anger about the school's decision.
One woman wrote: "So many reasons why this is so wrong. As someone already stated, female hygiene, yeast infections etc. But also, give the girls the mature respect they deserve as young women in high school. Tights is not necessary, it should be a choice as long as you look smart."
"This is absolutely ludicrous," another said. "Do the female staff have to wear thick black tights also? I would be concerned about intimate health issues this causes and obviously girls will be having their time of the month, which when warm is awfully uncomfortable without the added warmness of tights.
"If this is an issue due to people looking up girls skirts I suggest educating young people on sexual harassment and why looking up skirts is wrong. In my opinion this is not okay."
Another said: "Are the boys banned from wearing shorts? If it's about sexual harassment then the children need educating about this. Wearing tights won't resolve the issue. Totally sexist and puts blame/shame on the girls which is so wrong."
And one mum wrote: "I'm not happy with it, nor is my daughter. Who pays for the tights? Are the teachers having to wear tights too? Is it actually allowed to put this in place?"
A spokesperson for Ashton On Mersey School said: "The school communicates regularly with parents, carers and pupils. Our uniform policy was relaxed during this summer's high temperatures and the community was informed immediately; this will continue to be the school's approach in future responses to the heat."
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