Furious parents claim daughters 'left in tears' over school's 'woke' and 'sexist' uniform ban on girls wearing skirts

Furious mothers have criticised a chain of schools over a 'woke' and 'ridiculous' new rule banning girls from wearing skirts on the grounds of 'equality and inclusivity'.Since the start of the new school year this week, Co-op Academies Trust, which runs 14 secondaries across the Midlands and north of England, has instructed all of its 22,000 pupils to wear plain black tailored trousers.It insists the change is overwhelmingly popular with female pupils, with only a handful at one school in Oldham attempting to continue wearing skirts.And it says no girls had been 'barred from lessons' for wearing skirts. However, some parents have condemned the new rule, saying their daughters were left 'crying' and 'upset' after teachers told them to change into trousers before they could attend lessons.It comes as a growing number of secondary schools have switched to 'gender neutral' uniform policies following concerns about preserving girls' 'modesty' over skirts that were 'too short'.Alice Jones dropped off her daughter, Millie, 11, for her first day of secondary school on Wednesday.But the social worker says she was stunned when a staff member allegedly refused to let Millie into lessons until she put trousers on. Millie Jones, 11, wearing a skirt for her first day of secondary school this week before a staff member allegedly refused to let her into lessons until she put trousers on Alice Jones, pictured with her daughter Millie, claims the ban on girls wearing skirts is 'disgusting' and 'sexist'The 38-year-old said that while she knew about the 'ridiculous' policy, she gave Millie – who was 'crying' at the thought of wearing trousers – the choice to wear a skirt instead.Ms Jones claims she received a call saying Millie 'made her own choice' to wear a pair of trousers they provided her with – and said the incident 'ruined' her 'milestone moment' of starting secondary school.She has complained to the trust, arguing that because her daughter identifies as a girl she therefore 'should be able to wear a skirt'.Ms Jones said: 'It's an example of wokeism that has gone way too far.'It's just ridiculous and I still don't understand the rationale behind it.'She's 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's always worn skirts, pinafores and summer dresses and she's never worn trousers for 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. A growing number of secondary schools have switched to 'gender neutral' uniform policies following concerns about preserving girls' 'modesty' 'If a girl wants to wear trousers, fine, they should be allowed to wear trousers, but you shouldn't be discriminating against girls and making everyone wear trousers.'Parents of girls attending Co-op Academy Failsworth claim they were told they would not be allowed in lessons until they swapped their skirts for trousers.Samantha Scholes, who has daughters in years ten and 11, told the Manchester Evening News they had been 'in tears' over the new rules.She said: 'I am extremely concerned that my daughter has been denied access to her education because of a uniform issue.'Whilst I understand that the academy has changed its uniform policy, I do not believe that causing a child to miss lessons is a reasonable or proportionate response.'My concern is that a blanket policy is being enforced without properly considering the impact on individual pupils, particularly those who may already struggle with confidence, body image, or mental wellbeing.'Samantha Gallier said her daughter had reluctantly agreed to wear trousers 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'.'Equality should not mean erasing difference; rather, it should ensure that reasonable choices remain available to students,' Ms Gallier added.When the change was first announced, a spokesman 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'.Saying the response to scrapping skirts had been 'largely positive', it said: 'Trousers are widely recognised as practical in both educational and professional environments.'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, as well as 'limiting branded uniform items', was 'helping to reduce overall uniform expenses while creating greater consistency between our academies'.'Our focus remains on creating a comfortable, inclusive and positive learning environment where every student can thrive,' it added.Today the trust insisted it was 'incorrect' to say any pupil at Co-op Academy Failsworth had been 'barred from lessons' for wearing skirts.It said in a written statement: 'No child was refused entry to school or prevented from attending lessons because they were wearing a skirt.'The trousers-only policy was communicated to families in April 2026 and forms part of our move towards a simpler, more affordable and consistent uniform offer across our secondary academies. 'We recognised that some pupils might arrive in the wrong uniform at the start of term, so schools were prepared to support them. 'At Failsworth, a handful of students arrived wearing skirts, every child who needed alternative uniform was offered a choice of four different trouser styles, with a range of suitable sizes available, completely free of charge. 'This meant pupils could change into appropriate uniform and continue their school day without their families having to purchase replacement clothing at short notice, and with no disruption to their learning.'We understand that some families may disagree 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 overwhelming majority of parents support the policy. 'It is important that those concerns are reported accurately and that there is a clear distinction between being asked to comply with a uniform policy and being denied access to education.'The trust said Co-op Academy Failsworth had achieved its best-ever GCSE results this summer, with the changes saving parents on average 38 per cent on uniform costs.