05 December 2023 , 11:35
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A 12-year-old girl has been threatened with detention because her school trousers end at her ankles rather than her shoe line. Her mum has searched through 17 stores to find a pair of trousers that fit her tall daughter, but she hasn't found an "appropriate" pair.
The mum claims she spoke to the school about the situation, but they were unsympathetic and instead threatened her daughter with detention. She shared on Mumsnet: "My daughter is 6ft tall in flat shoes. Last year, I got her long trousers in a size 10 and there were no problems. She had slim-leg trousers. I always ensure she has the correct uniform."
"This year has been hell! She now has 35-inch legs. Tall in most shops is a 34" but she needs 36" with shoes and growing room I cannot find any and eventually had to settle for Next trousers with horizontal zips covered by her jumper." However, the girl's teachers quickly picked up on the fact she was not wearing the 'correct' school trousers - and confronted her about it.
"I email her school to discuss concerns regarding what I felt may be back-chatting teachers," she added. "I advised if [the teacher] was being cheeky there would be consequences - the teacher was meant to be investigated. Since last week, all the teacher emails about is her trousers."
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The mum explained that the only suitable trousers for her daughter's age in plain black cost a whopping £60 per pair from Long Tall Sally. She said: "She needs three pairs so £180! I explained I am not paying that for three pairs of trousers. The head of year then sent me links to ASOS which I already trawled through - none are suitable." she added, "[She also sent a link to] Long Tall Sally sale which has jeggings, faux leather, suede, baggy trousers - she would get teased by peers."
The frustrated mum took to Mumsnet to ask for advice on how to handle the situation without having to fork out £180 on school trousers. One user suggested: "Can you go in and show them the measurements against your daughter?" They added: "I get that schools have uniform policies but they shouldn't be so rigid that they prevent people from complying."
Another user chimed in: "Teen girls have super short skirts but your daughter's 'ankle grazer' trousers are unsuitable because they show a cm of ankle - gasp!" They continued: "Seriously I'd ignore and say she's not doing detention. I'm shocked they sent you links!" A third user shared their own experience: "From experience with a boy with the length and proportions of a stick of bamboo, the waist-to-hip ratio will be a problem."
"At anything less than around 32" waist, 36" inside leg trousers for men are very hard to find. I have had to search for 26" / 36" and then 28" / 36", I know. Girls have hips and definite waists, so anything long enough with a slim enough waist will be too tight on the hips, and anything long enough in the legs will be huge on the waist."
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* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story.