Saint Brigid’s National School, Greystones, County Wicklow
….the school will allow boys to wear skirts or girls to wear trousers from next September.
Chair of the Board of Management Tom Sherlock said the council approached the principal earlier this year with a well thought out case.
He told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland that the board’s initial reaction was “why didn’t we think of it ourselves?”
Gender neutral uniform policy set for Wicklow school (RTÉ)
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Still a uniform though.
Meh – I used to rail against wearing a uniform as a kid, but there are plenty of jobs with some sort of dresscode, so it’s good training for adulthood.
Plus, reduces a bit the problem of kid x wearing brand-name stuff, whereas kid y’s family can only afford to shop in Penneys, etc.
My kid doesn’t have a uniform, and her school recently did a clothes swap & sale to raise money. It was brilliant and the kids loved being able to swap clothes with their buddies. They were taught about recycling their clothes and second hand clothes.
It was a really positive idea on the part of the school.
double-Meh. Childhood doesn’t have to be training for the crappy parts of adulthood.
And, having gone to a school that had a uniform, there was always ways that the rich kids could signal their wealth[1] with the expensive gear: be it shoes and coats, or runners/sports equipment.
[1] this may have been ostentatious for some families, but there were others that just happened to have nice things.
Yeah – I’m not like madly in favour or them or anything; I just don’t have any problem with schools having a policy on uniforms, jewelry or hairstyles or whatever.
Whatever about the uniforms, I think they are asking for trouble with the bathroom thing Did I hear the principal say they will be mixed gender?
Where will the trouble come from ?
where do you think phil?
This will not end well.
the smell of poo
Plenty of opportunity for a simple enough interaction among children to get blown out of the water, or a teacher / parent to misread a situation and things become complicated.
Trouble could come from human nature.
The visits will be supervised by an adult maybe?
Can’t they all just wear the same uniform, for example, a track suit? Also should one child, or most probably his (right on) parents, dictate school policy?
The tracksuit is used on days with Sports but you couldnt have them in those all day all week. My only issue over the years with Uniform (finished now) was/is the fact that many School will not accept plain jumper with added crest and thus forcing you to buy the 25e over priced jumpers…
Of course you could have them in tracksuits all day every day. They are under 12, it would be much more suitable. I had to wear a tie to school when I was, stupid stuff.
A track suit? If they start wearing ’em as a school uniform then will they ever don a suit?
ref: Karl Lagerfeld
Sounds great in principal from a progressive adult point of view but I guarantee you the first young fella to walk through the doors with a skirt on will be singled out. Why can’t they let kids be kids?
singling out the odd ones is kids being kids, no?
Skirting round the issue
…big girls blouse
The skirts aren’t mandatory. Letting the kid wear a skirt IS letting the kid be a kid.
The policy makes perfect sense. If schools enforce gender specific uniforms they are liable to be legally challenged as employers have been successfully in the past.
So why do students in girl schools still ALL seem to turn up with their nether regions wrapped in what appears to be their granny’s table cloths? Down to below the ankle in some cases.
All they need is the red cape and the white bonnet.
Were the boys allowed to wear trousers and the girls forced to wear skirts before this? if so then this is a non story- slanted by RTE for whatever reason. Most girls would prefer to wear trousers to school- especially as the skirts usually look something from the 1950’s.
yeah let’s blame RTE
+1
It is a non-story but the media have jumped all over it because lads wearing skirts (aside from traditional kilts) is hilarious to them. If they relax the skirts only rule for girls then they should relax the trousers only rule for boys. School-specific skirts were not only matronly in design, they were impractical in the cold months, and would ride up the legs when on the bus or general goofing around after school.
There is no slant: “the school will allow boys to wear skirts or girls to wear trousers from next September”. The answer to your question is obviously yes if they going to start allowing them then they weren’t allowed before.
The headlines refers only to a “gender neutral uniform policy”. This reporting is fair and impartial.
Many schools allow girls to wear trousers already, so whats the big deal? As for boys wearing skirts, well good luck to anyone who wants to be seen wearing those curtains. Taste rather than gender being the issue I think.
Students demanded it. Try telling them ‘NO’ once in a while if you want to prepare the little darlings for the real world when they leave school.
People in the workplace as demand it too. An employer can’t enforce gender specific uniforms either: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/landmark-equality-ruling-on-dress-to-affect-schools-1.1122694
So this school is moving closer to the “real world” outside school where people stand up for themselves against stupid discriminatory rules.
Up north, uniforms not seen by the public are in some offices still enforced. It presents a perception of order and professionalism apparently.
If you are a member of a paramilitary organisation perhaps- which some ‘offices’ clearly are.
Reminds me of this article from last year, referencing shorts as the problem and skirts as the solution. Perhaps this is where the inspiration came from.
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2017/jun/22/teenage-boys-wear-skirts-to-school-protest-no-shorts-uniform-policy
i think everyone should just wear a muumuu and be done with it.
i remember when i was in secondary school in the 90’s one of the 6th year girls (i was in 5th year), wore trousers in, saying girls should be allowed. no one else had even thought of doin it, no one was against it except the principal who kept sending her home until she went back to wearin a skirt. i remeber we all thought that was stupid and they shud be able to wear dresses if they want. her arse looked way classer in the trousers too.
that’s a very good point
however, i’d say the majority of women can’t get away with wearing those trousers, especially if they’re carrying a bit of timber down there
and it’s a pity because it can make an otherwise attractive woman a bit frumpy looking
i wouldn’t really be lookin at teenagers the age I am. But in general, I think it’s down to individuals, if ya look good in them, class, if ya don’t coz yer heavy, i wouldn’t be lookin anyway so doesn’t bother me.
Boys in skirts? What’s this country turning into? Scotland?
*snigger*
In my experience getting them out’ve the bed is the hardest chore
School Uniform is the least of the drama of the school day get out, lunch box, homework journal, brush the hair, school run scrum and parking warfare
Kids prefer tracksuit days anyway
It gives them an extra few minutes in the leaba
And you can kinda get away with having last night’s Spag bol still stuck to it
A hoo haa over nathin’ imo
But shur’ like the school yard mummies
Someone will find outrage and drama and meetings to organise about anything introduced by a primary school principal
Believe me
The only people that matter
The pupils
Aren’t going to give a jelly tot snot
As long as it doesn’t involve more homework
Or prayers
They’ll still be demons to get out in the morning
No matter what they’ve to wear
I bet you’re the best* mammy ever
*despite your despotic hatred of USFC
USFC?
UFC for sissies