Girls told skirts are too short for school despite them being longest available

Parents have been left angered after a college told students their skirts were too short – even though they are the largest size available.

The college issued warnings by sending at least two parents text messages, and one of the girls was given a detention for her ‘unacceptably short’ kilt.

But they claim the skirts are the longest available and simply come up too short on larger children.

One parent, whose daughter is in Year 10, said: ‘I like the uniforms, they look smart, but the price and absolute necessity the school places on young children and parents is beyond shameful.

‘I was sent a text about my daughter’s skirt being too short. We have no spare money and bought her uniform on my overdraft.

‘I’m disgusted that during a pandemic, at a time when everyone is skint and emotions are high, uniform is still such a high priority and worth penalising people over.

‘My daughter has the largest size skirt, worn correctly. She is tall and wide, the skirt is not.

‘Last year we tried trousers and she was placed in isolation because they were too tight. They aren’t allowed elasticated waists either, it has to be button and zip.’

She said the price of the kilt-style skirts is between £34.95 and £40.95 and the only alternative is ‘regulation trousers’.

Another parent said her daughter had the opposite problem, as she was of slim build and any longer skirts would ‘swamp her’. She was given a detention.

The girl’s mother said: ‘She came home after the first day back with a detention due to her kilt being too short.

‘They only come in one length size, and I don’t think it looks too short, it’s just above her knee. It’s not fair that just because she’s tall she gets in trouble for it.

‘If I got the bigger waist size it would swamp her as she’s very slim, but around 5ft 8ins tall.’

Cowes Enterprise College on the Isle of Wight says the messages were sent to ‘give parents time to address the issue’.

A spokesperson for the academy said the uniform policy was important in ‘ensuring our students look smart and tidy, and have pride in both their appearance and our school’.

‘We have not imposed any sanctions on students who do not have the right uniform, instead providing support to parents and giving them time to address any issues,’ they added.

‘We have also provided financial support where parents can demonstrate they are in need.

‘It is only where students have been flouting the rules, such as rolling up skirts to make them shorter, where we have given detentions.

‘It is not correct that the right lengths and sizes of skirt are not being sold. Girls are also allowed to wear trousers if they prefer.’

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