A mother whose daughter was expected to wear thick black tights during the heatwave has told of her rage.
The parent, who doesn’t want to be named, articulated that students at Thorp Academy in Ryton, Tyne and Wear, are normally made to adhere to a strict dress code whatever the weather.
They’ve been told they can wear home clothes today and tomorrow as temperatures swell across the country and millions of Brits work from home, but it’s understood they will have to be back in uniform from Wednesday.
But the Northern Education Trust school says at all other times, girls must either wear ‘black, opaque tights with a minimum 60 denier’ or trousers.
Nonetheless, one anxious mother told a newspaper outlet that during this hot weather and the heatwave they’re experiencing, girls at Thorp Academy are being forced to continue to adhere to the uniform policy of wearing black, opaque tights, minimum 60 denier.
She said that she never had an issue with uniform regulations, and that she saw uniforms as a positive thing, and that she believed that tights were okay, ordinarily, but she said not in this heat. The school isn’t budging and thinks that it’s acceptable for the girls to continue to have to wear 60 denier or more, black tights.
The mum added that she worries that the girls would be more inclined to fungal infections should bacteria build up in their tights.
She has reportedly approached the school directly, presenting an alternative in the form of ankle socks instead of thick and heavy tights or trousers, but she felt her concerns were being dismissed.
A Northern Education Trust spokesperson said that due to the unusually hot weather, they’ve made reasonable adjustments for both primary and secondary pupils regarding uniform requirements.
The spokesperson said that for secondary students, this has included the relaxation of the requirement to wear blazers unless they wish to do so, and said they don’t comment on individual cases, but they were satisfied that pupils were safe and comfortable to allow them to learn.
The spokesperson said that the trust was aware of the extremely hot weather alert, and they have two non-uniform days planned that coincided with those days to raise money for the worthwhile charity British Ukrainian Aid.
But this isn’t just about girls being cool and comfortable, it’s about boys being cool and comfortable as well, and in this intense heat, boys should be permitted to wear shorts because it can’t be about one sex and not the other.
When I was at school, girls had a summer dress option which was a summer dress down to the knee with ankle socks, and boys were allowed to wear trouser shorts down to their knees and ankle socks, so why don’t these kids have that option now?
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