A school trust has been hit with a backlash from parents after they chose to ban skirts in its new school uniform policy.
The Northern Education Trust told parents it would make a change to its school uniform policy, which will come into effect from September 2026.
The school trust, which operates 13 primary schools and 17 secondary schools, said that all pupils wearing trousers “promotes equality and inclusivity” and is “more practical for active learning and movement throughout the school day”.
However, one parent questioned the move, calling it “outrageous misogyny.”
The move has caused some backlash among parents (file pic)
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One parent told Teesside Live: “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 said the 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.
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From September 2026, 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.
The new policy only covers the trust’s secondary schools
All other uniform items, such as trousers, shirts, shoes, and PE bottoms, can be purchased from any retailer.
However, they must adhere to the school’s respective 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.”
