11 Plus Exams Forum

Can anyone tell me what the dresscode at this school is?

ninanina wrote:Can anyone tell me what the dresscode at this school is?

There is a uniform policy on the website which details the health and safety aspects of the uniform, no jewellery, sensible shoes etc, with the 'School uniform' tab linking to the two main suppliers. If you look at the sizes available for the kilt on the John Lewis link, the lengths start at 20" and go up to 26" for the smaller waist sizes, 28" for larger waists.

My DD is at a different school, but as a guide, she is 5'4" and a 20" length skirt is just above her knee, so for the average year 7 the 24" length would be well below the knee.

The head of a mixed school we visited described their own "modesty skirt" as famous.

Why don't you ask the school? If their uniform policy isn't obvious from their website, it might prompt them to write one / publish it / permit trousers. Asking them to clarify it is reasonable.

The policy at our school is that trousers are allowed, skirts must be "on the knee", which gets around leg length and skirt length variations and tights must be 70 denier opaque. That's a fairly conservative combination.

I don't think there was any mention of trousers being forbidden, so it may be possible to wear them, I suppose. If there is no one at the school to ask at present, you could try phoning the uniform suppliers?. If the kilt has to come from them, it is likely that trousers would have to as well.

Except for very tall / short girls, the lengths available from stock for DD's school cater for their uniform policy; though, so it's possible that WCHS considers that the inclusion of 26" / 28" lengths caters for theirs. Those lengths would only satisfy an 'on the knee,or not more than x centimetres above' policy in girls over six foot tall, to put them into perspective; the school is obviously embracing the likelihood of some girls wearing theirs a way below knee length.

Trousers are not allowed at Woodford County, at least not until year 12/sixth form. But the school does apparently allow skirt of any length (even up to the ankle). That said I haven't seen any student wearing full-length skirt.

I haven't spoken to school personally, but this is what my wife found out after calling up the school. So do call the office to inquire.

If you look at the photos on the website, one shows a girl wearing a mid-calf length kilt (if I had to wear white socks with the thing, I would probably want my kilt as long as possible ). Interestingly, the photos also show girls wearing 'over the knee' socks, an item which is specifically prohibited in a lot of schools - not sure exactly why, apart from them looking awful, but that isn't necessarily a reason when it comes to school uniform. In another photo, on the 'welfare' page, there is someone wearing some full-length garment, although viewing it on my phone, it looks more like an abaya than a kilt and jumper and that definitely isn't on the uniform list, so it's either my resolution or not a pupil...? TBH, if the school does allow ankle-length kilts, then surely trousers would be a lot more practical and rather smarter?

There is a girls' school around the corner from where I work which does not allow trousers. The uniform is a kilt. They also clearly permit skirts of any length because all the girls who wear hijabs wear ankle length skirts. They do look a little unusual but I think that is mainly because many of the other girls wear them frighteningly short! I agree that trousers would be smarter but I guess it's relatively difficult to get tartan trousers?

DD's school kilt, like those at two of the three other girls' grammar schools in Essex, is tartan, but the alternative trousers in each school are plain black (hers) or navy (the other two). Very few girls choose to wear trousers at DD's school (although more do in the sixth form as they have a black skirt in a different design which I am told is not necessarily a good fit for all and has less scope for adjustment than the kilt).

ToadMum wrote:If you look at the photos on the website, one shows a girl wearing a mid-calf length kilt (if I had to wear white socks with the thing, I would probably want my kilt as long as possible ). TBH, if the school does allow ankle-length kilts, then surely trousers would be a lot more practical and rather smarter?

I agree, trousers would be a better option.

Some schools are devoid of common sense (as it is famously said, common sense is not that common). Once the policy has been written (no matter when), it is cast in stone and can't be changed. Ask a question or make a suggestion, they will throw the rule/policy book on you; as if these are as immutable as divine laws. That's my biggest gripe against most schools (well, most public institutions).

Although not the main driving factor, no trouser policy at Woodford was one of several reasons why we chose CCHS over WCHS!

I don't know anything about the dress code for these schools in particular, however many moons again when I was a much younger Tinkers, I went to a school where girls weren't allowed to wear trousers and weren't allowed to wear tights either. Knee length white socks only.
This was in Yorkshire.
After yours truely fainted twice at school the first winter I was there due to the cold, (several inches of snow on the ground) my mum begged them to let girls wear trousers or tights.
They conceded and girls were allowed to wear trousers but only on the way to and from school and during breaks. We had to wear them under our skirts/pinafore dresses. Interesting look but most girls did it, it was too cold not to pass up on the chance.

You'd think that schools would have moved on.