Photo: Tik Tok
They're required to have skirts that reach their knees.
By Hawthorn Martin — Written on Feb 24, 2023
Recently Rainford High School in Merseyside, England has had the world’s eyes on it.
Although most schools across the world adhere to some kind of dress code, this high school recently came under fire for its methods of keeping students in line.
The rule that has drawn particular attention recently is skirt length – all skirts at Rainford High must reach the student’s knees.
Principal Ian Young of the high school recently “became concerned” about the volume of students not complying with the dress code policies, and stated that the school has “taken firm action to politely challenge our students around how they wear uniforms.”
Students and parents, however, are disagreeing with these so-called polite challenges. According to parents, if the students are found violating the dress code, their family will be contacted, and they will be sent home to return in a longer skirt.
The way these violations were detected, though, is what caused the protest.
Teachers at Rainford High School were required to 'inspect' the length of girls' skirts.
By lining up the girls suspected of breaking the code, and having teachers of any gender inspect the length of their clothes.
One mother told the press that her granddaughter “came home mortified that her skirt height was inspected by a male teacher in front of male pupils.”
Another parent said the affected students were crying and embarrassed, and some of them had then been made fun of by male students.
A student of the school brought the issue to a petition, trying to raise support and get the school to stop controlling girls’ skirts.
“Parents during a cost of living crisis are being forced to buy new skirts or risk the children being suspended from school,” she discusses in her petition, pointing out the unfair standard of forcing parents to purchase entirely new, and often expensive, clothing to make up the difference of a few inches.
The situation has escalated, as the student body has decided to take more direct action.
As documented on Tik Tok, hundreds of students walked out of class to fill the halls and protest the dress code.
According to students, their demands have yet to be met, and the school is tightening restrictions; in some cases not even allowing students to use the bathroom. Many students have been suspended as a direct result of the protests.
The response on TikTok has been mixed. Some users are showing support and wish they could help the students.
“Young people need to be heard!!” One user wrote. “They’re our future - it’s time we listened.”
“Proud of you all, keep going!!” Another commented.
Others are sharing similar protests happening at their own schools, standing against similar restrictions and treatment.
Other comments aren’t as encouraging.
“It’s only knee length,” another Tik Tok user wrote. “like mine have to be at the ankles and we aren’t doing this, what.”
“Just deal with it, it’s not that bad.” Another wrote. Many are pointing out the fact that many schools across England employ these rules, and saying the protests are doomed to fail.
“Would u want someone measuring your skirt everyday to make sure it’s good enough?” Another retaliated against these comments.
The protests are still happening as recently as today, so it remains to be seen if these students manage to make a real change, or if it will just mean suspension for them.
Hawthorn Martin is a news and entertainment writer living in Texas. They focus on social justice, pop culture, and human interest stories.