Fury over the strict new uniform policy at a Welsh high school is being raised with education minister Jeremy Miles. Bridgend councillor Alex Williams said dozens of parents of children at Pencoed Comprehensive have complained to him about a crackdown on uniform compliance and he is writing to the minister raising their concerns including that the school's uniform policy goes against Welsh Government guidelines on gender discrimination.
Parents claim their daughters were given detentions for wearing skirts deemed too short and that staff were checking they were no more than 5cm above the knee. The school has denied any staff measured pupils' skirts but confirmed around 20 children were taken into the school hall and spoken to about wearing the wrong uniform this week.
Cllr Williams, who is an independent councillor for Pencoed and chair of the Bridgend Education Scrutiny Committee, said he would be raising the matter with the education minister. Only last month the Welsh Government announced rules on uniform should be more relaxed to make them cheaper.
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Cllr Williams said Pencoed Comprehensive's uniform crackdown has caused anxiety among pupils including some taking GCSEs and A-levels. He has also raised the matter with the school's head teacher Edward Jones and Bridgend's education director Lindsay Harvey.
“I've received dozens of messages from concerned parents and guardians about the implementation of Pencoed Comprehensive School's new uniform policy which was introduced in March 2023," Cllr Williams said. He said he'd been told the head teacher "categorically disputes" claims staff were asked to measure the lengths of skirts to see if they complied with the uniform policy.
"Nevertheless it is clear that the implementation of the new school uniform policy has caused anxiety among some pupils who are fearful of being given detention, some of whom are young pupils and some of whom are older and are at a crucial time in their educational life as they sit their GCSEs and A-levels.
“I don’t think any parent or carer disputes the fact that there needs to be a uniform policy but Pencoed Comprehensive must quickly get a handle on these issues to ensure that going forward, the policy is clarified, and that it inspires confidence among both pupils and their parents. After receiving complaints I referred the matter to the head teacher who will discuss this matter with the school’s governing body at the earliest opportunity and the corporate director for education at Bridgend County Borough Council also has sight of the issues.
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"Bridgend Council has confirmed to me that this is a matter for the school’s governing body and any complaints regarding school uniform should be dealt with under the school’s complaints procedure. I would encourage all parents and carers who have concerns to communicate directly with the school to ensure that their complaints are fully investigated and they receive an appropriate response.
“However, beyond this immediate issue, I have written to the Welsh Government minister for education, Jeremy Miles MS, about other concerns which have been raised with me including allegations of senior members of staff informing children that they should not communicate their concerns to their parents outside school and that the uniform policy is in contravention to Welsh Government guidelines on gender discrimination.”
A spokesman for Pencoed Comprehensive has said the school wrote to parents, carers, and guardians of all 917 pupils to advise them that uniform compliance would be checked this week. The school said this was in response to an increase in the number of pupils wearing hoodies, inappropriate footwear, and other non-uniform items. As a result, they said, around 20 pupils were recently asked to gather in the school hall on Monday and Tuesday for a brief reminder about uniform expectations. "While appropriate skirt lengths were discussed as part of this 15-minute conversation no measuring took place or was carried out by staff at any time," the spokesman added.
Parents said they are also angered by the school saying that only shorts bought from a uniform supplier can be worn. They said this went against latest Welsh Government guidance that uniform should be made cheaper and specific logos and items from suppliers were not compulsory.
A Welsh Government spokesman said: “We have recently issued new guidance on school uniform and the minister has been clear uniforms should be affordable and not put extra pressure on families. Our guidance is clear that we do not consider exclusion as an appropriate response to breaches of school uniform or appearance policy. Decisions relating to school uniform are for schools and their governing bodies to consider.”
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