Boys wear skirts and PE kits to school in protest over shorts ban in heatwave
Boys have been heading to school in skirts and PE kits amid a backlash over "boiling" school uniforms in the ongoing heatwave.
A number of schools in south Wales have become embroiled in arguments over school uniforms as temperatures soar over 30C and they're only allowed to wear black trousers.
This has led to male students turning to desperate measures to stay cool, all whilst their teachers are fine to wear "skirts and shorts", leading to accusations of the rules being unfair. WalesOnline reported that some schools sent children to detention for wearing school-branded PE kits as they were so desperate to stay cool in the heat. In a show of protest, male students at two schools decided to don skirts on Friday as they weren't allowed to wear shorts.
Siobhan Bates, mother of 13-year-old Bradley, a Year Nine pupil at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman, sent her son to school in his PE kit on Thursday, only for him to be placed in detention by a teacher. The 35 year old said: "I sent my son to school in his PE kit. When he got to school he got off the bus and a teacher stopped them going into school. They lined them up outside and said they were going to keep them in a room all day in detention. I told my son to go to lessons as usual but he was put in detention.
"I rang the school and they said it is the policy for them to wear uniform. The school said they are not allowed in their classes if they wear PE kit and have to be separated from children in uniform. If they go in PE kit on Friday I was told the children will be sanctioned. My son suffers from headaches in the heat and I let him go in his PE kit so he wouldn't overheat and the air could get to his legs. Otherwise he has to wear thick black trousers and a shirt buttoned up to the neck. Luckily they don't have blazers."
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The school stated that students would be barred from their classes if they wore PE kits instead of the standard uniform and would face sanctions if they did so on Fridays.
Siobhan criticised the policy as being one-sided, pointing out that while teachers had the liberty to wear cooler, lighter clothes, the children were bound by the uniform code. "I think this is unfair because the adults can wear cool clothes, but the kids can't so I - and other parents - will definitely be sending our kids to school in PE kit again [on Friday]," she said.
James Durbridge, headteacher of Ysgol Dyffryn Aman defended the policy saying: "At Ysgol Dyffryn Aman, as with most secondary schools across Carmarthenshire, we expect all our pupils to wear the formal school uniform. As a school community, we will continue to work together to monitor the situation and weather patterns carefully. If there are any changes, parents will be informed through our usual communication channels."
At Cefn Saeson Comprehensive School in Neath, a parent reported that his child was given detention for wearing the school's branded PE kit. The parent, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "He was told he'd have detention at lunch because he was in his fully school badged PE kit."
"A [staff member] phoned me and said they are not letting kids wear their school PE kit and that they have to wear trousers, a shirt and tie. Yesterday the temperature went over 30°. They say the school has air conditioning, but it doesn't work properly. What about the kids' health and safety going to and from school? At break time and coming from school? In one of the classrooms [I was told] one child wasn't allowed to leave class to get a glass of water. I think it's sick and this needs to be addressed as some other local comps are allowing kids to attend in PE kit while the temperature is like it is."
Meanwhile, Becca Downing, a parent of a year nine pupil at Afon Taf High School in Merthyr Tydfil, faced a similar situation. She sent her son to school in his PE kit on a particularly hot Wednesday, only for him to be threatened with detention if he didn't change into his uniform.
Becca, 36, said: "It was very hot on Wednesday and the kids were all complaining. They were told they would either be put in a different classroom and excluded from all the other children or sent home if they wore PE kits and that it's compulsory to wear their uniform.
"Meanwhile the teachers can wear dresses and skirts. It has really annoyed a lot of us parents. Before they broke up from the summer holidays they were allowed to wear their PE kits because it was quite hot then, but now it's the same temperature if not hotter than it was then."
She described the situation as "upsetting", imagining her child sweltering in his uniform during lessons. She expressed her worry saying, "We aren't used to temperatures like this and it can make children feel lethargic and nauseous and find it hard to concentrate at school - it's worrying. Their PE kit is quite smart rather than scruffy."
In an act of defiance, Becca's son and his friends have decided to don skirts to school since they're prohibited from wearing their school-branded PE kits. She said: "If the school doesn't change its mind, my son and his friends will be going into school wearing skirts tomorrow. If it's okay for the girls to wear skirts, I will be sending my son in a skirt too. My son and his friends want to make a stand."
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A spokesman for Afon Taf school said: "No pupils have been sent home from Afon Taf High School today, and any pupils attending school in PE kit have been offered trousers. The school is a modern building, with air conditioning in some rooms. Windows are open, and pupils appear to have been comfortable throughout the day today, with none commenting otherwise to teaching staff. We will continue to monitor the weather forecast and consider uniform accordingly."
Several parents of students at Pentrehafod School in Swansea have informed WalesOnline that their sons will be donning skirts to school this Friday. Jodie, a mum of a year 11 student, expressed her concerns: "The girls are allowed to wear skirts. It worries me thinking of [the boys] having to wear the long black trousers in this heat, they're not used to this weather. Normally they are off school when it is this hot over the summer holidays, but this time they've gone back to school when it is boiling, whereas some of the teachers are wearing skirts and shorts. We don't want them wearing any sports clothes, we just want them to be able to wear their school PE kit."
A spokesperson for Pentrehafod School responded to the protest, stating: "At Pentrehafod we have a long established school uniform policy and we expect all our pupils to wear the school uniform as outlined in the policy. As with most schools in the area, this requires boys to wear trousers in the Autumn Term. However, should there be a request to review this, then we would seek the views of all members of the school community."
* This article was crafted with the help of an AI tool, which speeds up The Mirror's editorial research. An editor reviewed this content before it was published. You can report any errors to [email protected]
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