14 DAY TRIAL // Headmaster David New from the Nailsea School near Bristol, UK, has decided that a very hip pair of trousers will no longer be allowed on school premises. All girls wearing these pants will be sent home and reprimanded, New says, much to the outrage of the parents who see no reason why they should pay more money on another school uniform, as The Telegraph informs.
The pants in question, priced at £10, are black and tight, somewhat resembling skinny jeans. Until just recently, New tolerated them as part of the girls’ uniform, but, since the school relocated over the summer and a new uniform has been proposed, whoever wears them needs to be sent home to change. The new uniform costs £16.99 and includes the officially approved pants and a black sweater instead of a navy blue one, a change most parents are not willing to make right now.
The new rule is stupid, parents are telling the British media, especially as New is adamant whoever breaks it repeatedly even runs the risk of being suspended. “These trousers have been fine for the last three years and my daughter looks very smart wearing them. I’m fully supportive of the school and I’m not trying to be awkward but I really don’t see what’s wrong with them. The ones from the school shop don’t fit properly because they have longer legs. The new rules really are over the top. Around 80 per cent of the girls are wearing these trousers so it has become a very big issue amongst parents. One girl was actually sent home for wearing them.” Jane Dalby, a mother, says for The Telegraph.
What’s wrong with the tight pants, according to principal New, is that they allow the underwear line to be clearly seen when the pupil is not wearing her sweater. Moreover, they also make for an unnecessary fashion statement with their many zips and buckles, which the school does not tolerate – and New will not budge on his decision. As a matter of fact, the headmaster seems to have become even more set to ban the pants altogether since the matter got out in the media.
“We don’t want trousers that are unduly tight because they show off the student’s underwear when their jumpers aren’t on. We don’t want the fashion statement that these are making with the zips and buckles showing. We have given out information to parents and I have to say that we are down to a very small minority of students who are not towing the line. If students wear the wrong trousers they will be sent home to change. If they still don’t change we have found a spare room for them to work in alone.” Mr. New says for the same publication.