Parents' fury as secondary schools ban girls from wearing skirts - insisting trousers 'promote equality and inclusivity'
Northern Education Trust - which operates six secondary schools on Teesside - has written to parents outlining the changes to its school uniform policy, which will come into effect from September 2026.
The new uniform policy bans skirts from being worn and says 'all students will be expected to wear tailored school trousers'.
The trust claims that all students wearing trousers 'promotes equality and inclusivity' and is 'more practical for active learning and movement throughout the school day'.
However, the change has been met with backlash from some parents, who claim they were not consulted.
One mum, whose daughter attends a school within the trust, said: 'My daughter and many of her friends are upset about it.
'Many girls choose to wear skirts to express their gender identities. It is outrageous misogyny. There's nothing open, modern and inclusive about this.'
The trust says it spoke with a 'significant number of students' to ask their opinion.
In a letter published online across four of its Teesside secondary schools, the trust said: 'From September 2026, the school uniform will no longer include skirts as an option, and all students will be expected to wear tailored school trousers.
'This decision has been made following careful consideration and feedback from all stakeholders across the trust, where it highlighted the benefits of a more practical, inclusive, and consistent uniform policy.
'The move to trousers for all students promotes equality and inclusivity, ensuring all students feel comfortable and supported.
'Trousers are also more practical for active learning and movement throughout the school day, while simplifying uniform requirements helps reduce costs for families.
'We understand that this is a significant change, which is why we are providing over a year's notice to allow time for any necessary adjustments.'
The trust says these changes are in response to the Department of Education changing its guidance on school uniforms to make them more affordable for families.
The key change, the trust outlines, is a limit on the number of branded uniform items schools can require.
The Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill will cap the number of branded items to three - with the addition of a branded tie allowed for secondary schools.
From September 2026, at the trust's secondary schools, the only compulsory branded items will include a school blazer, school tie, and the PE top - with the trust adding it will no longer allow plain black T-shirts for this purpose.
All other uniform items, such as trousers, shirts, shoes, and PE bottoms, can be purchased from any retailer, provided they adhere to the school's colour and style guidelines.
A spokesperson for the trust said: 'Northern Education Trust is extremely mindful of the cost of school uniforms for parents, and has been considering the impact of this for a number of months, and of the forthcoming changes to government legislation.
'Alongside this, consideration was given to no longer including skirts as an option, and we have spoken to a significant number of students to ask their opinion about this.
'As a result of positive feedback to this suggestion, it was decided that all secondary students should wear tailored school trousers from September 2026, as highlighted in the letter to parents earlier this month.
'The decision to delay implementation of the change until 2026 was to give families plenty of time to prepare so that they could make an informed choice when purchasing items this year, as well as saving costs on having to repeatedly replace tights.
'A very small number of parents have raised concerns which have been discussed with individuals, but the vast majority of responses to the notification have been very positive.
'We cannot comment on individual cases, and we always ask parents to contact us directly to discuss any concerns they have about such changes.'
The Teesside schools under the Northern Education Trust include Dyke House Academy (Hartlepool), Freebrough Academy (Brotton), The Grangefield Academy (Stockton), Manor Community Academy (Hartlepool), North Shore Academy (Stockton) and Thornaby Academy (Thornaby).
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