School Causes Controversy After Telling Girls As Young As Four To Wear 'Modesty Shorts' Under Skirts

Jun 29, 2021

Plenty of schools and other establishments have dress codes set in place for a plenitude of reasons. However, controversy has been known to ensue when the dress codes implemented are more focused on female students rather than male students or a mix of the two. Across the United Kingdom, a number of primary schools have asked their female students to wear modesty shorts under their skirts as a safety measure against potential predators. 

While many school officials and even police officers have chimed in with their own words in agreement to the new rules, a handful of parents and important figures disagree with making girls as young as four conform to the dress code. Although the new policy could help keep potential predators from taking harmful photographs of the students, there are other measures that some adults think should also be tackled when it comes to protecting children from dangerous people, such as changing the culture of schools and introducing roles that would better target sexual assault and harassment prevention.

Schools in the United States have also begun to implement similar policies that police the way female students dress. A group of students in California joined forces to protest their school's dress code that specifically targeted female students, as they wanted educators and parents to teach the boys to focus rather than make the girls cover up. In the UK, people have had similar reactions to primary schools creating new policies to make young girls dress more modestly, as they want the main focus should be more about keeping children safe.

Differing Opinions

On June 6, 2021, the Daily Mail reported that primary schools across the UK, such as The Dell Primary School and Parkside Primary Academy, have begun asking young female students to wear "modesty shorts" under their skirts. The hope with the dress code is to safeguard kids against predators and prevent dangerous and inappropriate attention from members of the public while the girls engage in activities such as doing handstands and cartwheels on the playground.

The chief constable of Norfolk and the National Police Chiefs' Council lead for children protection, Simon Bailey, has spoken in support for the new policy, but believed that there should be some additives to how schools prevent unsolicited measures from being taken. "My view is that anything that can be done to ensure that young girls feel more secure has got to be good news, even modesty shorts, but the culture in schools has got to change at the same time," Bailey told The Sunday Times.

Steve King, the headteacher of The Dell Primary School, issued a statement on a Facebook page for parents. "While we do not want to give children messages that they are responsible for the actions of others, we cannot stand by while children's actions may attract inappropriate attention from members of the public but did not act to protect them," King wrote.

Parents have said that the new policy could lead to body-shaming against their children, and have expressed their anger about making their daughters feel like they need to cover up, as reported by the Daily Mail. Maria Miller, the former chairwoman of the women and equalities committee, agreed with the parents. "It's our responsibility to keep children safe at schools and not put that responsibility onto them and what they wear," she said.

What do you think about the UK's dress code for young female students? Do you think it should be implemented? Let us know, and be sure to pass this along to your friends and family, too.