Merseyside school staff humiliates their female student

• Merseyside school female student claim that male teachers have required them to wear skirts.
• That are significantly north of knee length, leading to protests and a detention.
• School implemented uniform policy to create safe and productive environment.

Female students at a Merseyside school claim that the enforcement of a uniform requirement has left them feeling “humiliated.”

They assert that male teachers have required girls to enter Rainford High School in St. Helens separately from boys and have measured the length of their skirts.

Several students protested the way rules were being implemented, some of them were in tears.

The school said “the implementation of the uniform policy was carried about by staff, both male and female”.

More than 1,000 people have signed a petition against the policy with some calling it “outdated” and “ridiculous”.

Tony, a parent who has complained about the treatment of his daughter, said: “When pupils returned after half term, they lined girls up and examined their skirts and told them, ‘Yours is suitable, yours is not’.

“It was humiliating. My daughter was so upset about it.”

The protests come after a letter was sent to parents in October, in which the school stated it had seen a “majority” of female students wearing skirts “significantly north of knee length”.

According to Tony, his daughter received a detention for participating in the protest on Wednesday.

He said: “I am so proud of my daughter for standing up for her beliefs, It’s appalling how it’s been handled.”

Videos posted on TikTok depict what appears to be a “protest” at the school, with throngs of students gathered in the hallways and male students donning skirts over their uniforms.

According to the letter to parents, skirts must adhere to certain requirements so that students can focus on their work “without worrying that acts like sitting down become unduly risky owing to skirt length.”

Students who don’t follow the universal standards would “experience challenges and potential consequences,” it was said.

Learn about sensitivity

Summer, a student in the sixth form at Rainford, commented on the demonstration on Wednesday: “It’s upsetting [the teachers] think we’re protesting against the regulation, [but] we’re criticizing how its being handled — having girls separate from boys. Girls are leaving lessons in tears because it is embarrassing.

“There is a minority that take it to the extreme and wear skirts too short. But they’re branding everyone the same.”

Head teacher Ian Young said like many schools “we have a clear uniform policy”.

“The implementation of the uniform policy was carried about by staff, both male and female,” he said.

“Unfortunately, during the protests, a number of students breached the school’s behaviour policy and this resulted in us implementing our discipline policy and taking the appropriate action in accordance with this.

“Daily school life requires a range of policies and implementing these policies enables our school to create a safe and productive environment, ensure the smooth running of the school and makes sure that a consistent approach is applied.”

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