Mum pulls 12-year-old daughter out of school after being put in isolation over school skirt length
A furious mum has pulled her daughter out of school after the 12-year-old was put in isolation after skirt deemed too short.
A 12-year-old girl has been pulled out of school after being put in isolation over the length of her skirt. Furious mum Cola Glenny claims her daughter Pearl was subjected to a “military”-style inspection which saw teachers measuring the girls’ legs.
The skirt was said to be 2cm shorter than the permitted length at the Hundred of Hoo Academy. The uniform rules at the school near Rochester, Kent state that skirt hems must be within 6cm of the top of the knee.
Cola says her daughter was in tears when she called her on Monday (September 15), saying she had been isolated in the main hall all day as her skirt measured at 8cm above the knee. In response to the incident which Cola described as “humiliating”, the 34-year-old has decided to home educate her daughter, who is in Year 8, until they can find a suitable alternative.
The mum, who runs a catering company, said: “They put her in [isolation] because her skirt was too short, and she wasn’t allowed any food or drink in that time. It was awful. She is quite a confident girl, so I don’t ever receive phone calls like that from her. She was hysterical, I couldn’t really hear what she was saying so I was panicking.
“Her skirt isn’t too short to the eye, it is just 8cm above the knee because she is quite tall. If I got her any bigger then it would fall down at the waist and her knickers would be hanging out the top of her skirt. They have always been quite strict but they have never got a ruler out.
“I agree with strict uniform policies as there are some girls with skirts up their bums, but when you look at a skirt to the eye and it is not that short then why should we humiliate girls like that.”
The concerned mum claims a number of other girls were taken to task over the length of their skirts. Several other mums have reportedly also pulled their children out of school, with Cola claiming five other parents have come to her saying that they have done the same.
She added: “When I went to the school to collect Pearl I saw at least 20-30 other girls going into the school hall where they had been pulled out of their classes as well. Today I got an email saying that skirts were being measured at the gate and if they weren’t good enough the girls are being sent home. They are missing out on their whole education now.
“I just think they are taking the uniform thing too far. There were so many girls just crying their eyes out and I just thought ‘how can you humiliate all these young girls for a skirt that their parents have bought them.’”
Cola says that previously, Pearl had got on well at the school and made several friends, so she hadn’t wanted to remove her daughter. She said: “She was just traumatised by it. She said to me on Monday evening that she doesn’t feel safe in school any more, and I agree with her.
“She shouldn’t be going to school and feeling bullied by teachers. It is definitely like a military camp. I don’t feel like my daughter is safe there anymore, so I have pulled her out.”
Despite several complaints, the school, which is part of the Leigh Academies Trust, has defended its school uniform policy. The school denies that staff used rulers and claims that it offered alternative skirts and access to food, drink, and toilet breaks.
A school spokesperson said: "The academy has clear expectations around uniform, including that skirts are of an acceptable length. These standards apply to all students and are in place to promote fairness, consistency and a positive learning environment.
"We appreciate that finding suitable uniform can sometimes be more difficult for individual students, particularly as they grow. To help families, we recently changed our policy so that parents could purchase skirts from a wide range of high street retailers, rather than only through a uniform shop.
"This means that suitable skirts are more accessible and available in a variety of fits. In this specific case we will be contacting the parent directly to offer support and to help source an appropriate skirt that meets the academy’s requirements.
"Clear uniform standards help students understand the importance of presenting themselves in a professional way. This is a skill that will support them beyond school, in further education and in the workplace.
"In advance of this term we wrote to all parents about skirt length, first in the summer and again in the first week back, giving parents until September 15 to replace skirts that no longer met the requirements. College teams then contacted families of specific pupils who had outgrown their skirt, and further reminders were sent on Friday.”