Parents' backlash to 'degrading' skirt policy after students sent home from Isle of Wight school

Parents have hit out at what they have called ‘degrading’ measures (PA)
Parents have hit out at what they have called ‘degrading’ measures (PA)

Pupils were reportedly made to line up and have their skirts measured at school, with parents complaining of the “degrading” practice.

Parents have said that girls at the Ryde Academy secondary school on the Isle of Wight were lined up and had their skirts measured to see if they met the required knee length.

Students with skirts deemed too short were sent home, the Telegraph reported, while the inspection - carried out this week - took staff more than two hours.

The academy said that inspections were carried out in the first week of the new term with parents having been warned before the summer break that this was coming.

“It sends the wrong message and is degrading,” a mother told the Telegraph.

“If you are taller, you can’t find a skirt. We bought the right skirts but it is a policy you can’t comply with because you can’t get one that long.

“So basically they were being judged on their body shape and size and it’s kind of pointing out to them you don’t fit into the clothes you can buy in the shops and that’s not what teenage girls need.”

Ryde Academy made headlines in 2014 for the same reason.

A decade ago, the Telegraph reported that 250 girls were taken out of lessons because their short skirts were not fit “for the world of work”.

The mixed gender school has been open since the 1960s but took on its current status as an academy in 2011 with a sixth form included.

The Isle of Wight County Press additionally reported that students were also taken to task over having “too tight” PE tops and crew neck jumpers, rather than turtle necks.

The Standard has seen the Ryde policy on dresses which states the requirement is: “Plain black knee length formal shorts or plain black knee length pleated skirt.”

The guide seen by the reporter does not state a minimum length requirement for a dress.

Ryde also has a strict policy on its mobile use within the school confides, asking all students to put their phone in a pouch that they cannot access during hours.

The school has not issued a statement but did tell the County Press that it had been “very clear” with parents.

A spokesperson said: "We‘ve been very clear about expectations on uniform and have shared these with families multiple times over the summer term, including through newsletters, video explainers and parent drop-in sessions.

"Our policy on jumpers is unchanged and we expect our students to turn up every day in the right uniform."