Furious parents claim schoolgirls were segregated from classmates because skirts ‘too short’

Parents are up in arms amid claims their daughters were segregated at a Runcorn school because their skirts were too ‘distracting’.

A number of parents of female pupils at Ormiston Bolingbroke Academy contacted the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) and alleged that their children were among around 100 who had been ‘isolated’ because their skirts were ‘too short’ and causing a ‘distraction’.

One parent said: “Do they expect them to cover their bodies from head-to-toe? They have over 100 female students isolated from lessons because of this.”

Another said: “A new rule, brought out the first day of school term states girls’ skirts should not be above knee length. Because of the new rule, over 100 female students were isolated due to their skirt length. An uproar has occurred with parents complaining, as they should, about their students missing their education.”

A spokesperson for the academy on Barnfield Avenue, said it was ‘committed’ to creating the best possible learning environment for students, adding, ‘school uniform is an important part of that’.

She said: “We have always had a uniform policy, with students aware of the expectations for different items of clothing and we communicated this to students and families ahead of the summer break. As part of this, we were also clear that in instances where students were not following these policies, corresponding sanctions would be implemented, in line with our behavioural policy.”

Parents, students and carers now have until September 25 to ensure uniform adhered to policy and any families who are having issues should contact the academy, as they will ‘provide ongoing support for those who need it, including the purchasing of new items’.