Furious mothers have criticized a chain of schools over a ‘woke’ and ‘ridiculous’ new rule banning girls from wearing skirts on grounds of ‘equality and inclusivity’.
Since the start of the new school year this week, Co-op Academies Trust, which runs 14 secondary schools in the Midlands and the North of England, has told all of its 22,000 pupils to wear plain black trousers.
It highlights that the change is overwhelmingly popular among female pupils, with only a handful at a school in Oldham attempting to continue wearing skirts.
And it says no girls were “excluded from classes” because they wore skirts.
However, some parents have condemned the new rule, saying their daughters were left ‘crying’ and ‘upset’ after teachers told them to put on trousers before attending class.
It comes as a growing number of high schools are doing switched to a ‘gender neutral’ uniform policy after concerns about maintaining girls’ ‘modesty’ over skirts that were ‘too short’.
Alice Jones dropped off her daughter, Millie, 11, on Wednesday for her first day of high school.
But the social worker says she was stunned when a staff member reportedly refused to let Millie into classes until she put on pants.
Millie Jones, 11, wears a skirt on her first day of high school this week, before a staff member reportedly refused to teach her until she put on pants
Alice Jones, pictured with her daughter Millie, claims ban on girls wearing skirts is ‘disgusting’ and ‘sexist’
The 38-year-old said that although she was aware of the ‘ridiculous’ policy, she gave Millie – who ‘cried’ at the thought of wearing trousers – the choice to wear a skirt instead.
Mrs. Jones claims she received a phone call saying Millie “made her own choice” to wear pants she gave her – and that the incident “ruined” her “milestone moment” of starting high school.
She has filed a complaint with the trust, arguing that because her daughter identifies as a girl, she “should be able to wear a skirt.”
Ms Jones said: ‘It is an example of wokeism gone far too far.
‘It’s just ridiculous and I still don’t understand the reason behind it.
“She is a girl and identifies as a girl and was born a girl and has always been a girl, she should be able to wear a skirt.
‘She has always worn skirts, aprons and summer dresses and she has never worn trousers at school.
“I understand it in the context of their new policy, but I don’t agree with it. I think it’s sexist and it raises questions about inequality.
‘It’s just disgusting in 2026.
Samantha Scholes’ daughter Lillie is one of the students at Co-op Failsworth Academy who wants to continue wearing skirts
Co-op Academy Failsworth in Oldham, Greater Manchester, achieved its best ever GCSE results this summer
“If a girl wants to wear pants, fine, she should be able to wear pants, but you shouldn’t discriminate against girls and let everyone wear pants.”
Parents of girls attending Co-op Academy Failsworth claim they were told so they were not allowed to attend classes until they had exchanged their skirts for pants.
Samantha Scholes, who has daughters aged ten and eleven, told the Manchester Evening News they had been ‘in tears’ about the new rules.
She said: “I am very concerned that my daughter has been denied access to her education due to a uniform issue.
‘While I understand that the academy has changed its uniform policy, I do not believe it is a reasonable or proportionate response to allow a child to miss lessons.
‘My concern is that blanket policies are being enforced without proper consideration of the impact on individual students, especially those who may already be struggling with self-confidence, body image or mental wellbeing.’
Samantha Gallier said her daughter had reluctantly agreed to wear pants but was “upset” because she “said she looked like a boy.”
She said she had complained to the school that the new uniform rule was ‘sexist and discriminatory’.
A growing number of secondary schools have moved to a ‘gender neutral’ uniform policy due to concerns about maintaining girls’ ‘modesty’
‘Equality should not mean erasing differences; rather, it must ensure that reasonable choices remain available to students,” Ms Gallier added.
When the change was first announced, a spokesperson for the ‘inclusive’ trust told the Manchester Evening News that it “reflects our commitment to supporting active learning, student wellbeing and a practical, comfortable school day”.
It said the response to the skirt disposal was ‘largely positive’ and said: ‘Trousers are widely recognized as practical in both educational and professional settings.
‘A growing number of schools nationally have made similar changes to support equality and participation.’
The trust also argued that preventing parents from having to buy tights, and ‘restricting branded uniform items’, ‘helped reduce overall uniform costs while creating greater consistency between our academies’.
“Our focus remains on creating a comfortable, inclusive and positive learning environment in which every student can thrive,” it added.
Today the trust insisted it was a “wrong” thing to say to any student Co-op Academy Failsworth was ‘excluded from classes’ for wearing skirts.
A written statement said: ‘No child was refused entry to school or prevented from attending classes because they were wearing a skirt.
‘The trousers only policy was communicated to families in April 2026 and is part of our move towards a simpler, more affordable and consistent uniform offering across our secondary academies.
‘We realized that some students would arrive in the wrong uniform at the start of the school year, so schools were prepared to support them.
‘At Failsworth a handful of students arrived in skirts, any child requiring an alternative uniform was given a choice of four different trouser styles, with a range of suitable sizes available, completely free of charge.
‘This meant that pupils could put on the correct uniform and continue their school day without the need for their families to purchase replacement clothing at short notice, and without disruption to their learning.
‘We understand that some families may not agree with the policy and we are always willing to listen to concerns. All parents have been given the opportunity to provide feedback since the new policy was proposed and the vast majority of parents support the policy.
‘It is important that these concerns are reported accurately and that there is a clear distinction between being asked to follow a one-size-fits-all policy and being denied access to education.’
The trust said Co-op Academy Failsworth achieved its best ever GCSE results this summer, with the changes saving parents an average of 38 per cent on uniform costs.
