A total of around 150 schools have introduced gender neutral(中性的) uniforms to enable children to experience equality. Rising numbers of schools are adopting the policy, which includes allowing boys and girls to wear skirts or trousers. Many parents support the move to increase choice, but education experts have argued that youngsters could become confused by the practices.
Jamie Barry said introducing a gender neutral uniform was basic common sense. Girls could already wear plain grey or black trousers, like the boys. However, the new policy introduced a year ago has enabled boys to wear skirts if they wish.
Mr Barry, whose school recently won a Gold Best Practice award from the LGBT education charity Educate & Celebrate, has insisted the uniform is positive for all pupils. He told The Guardian, “Why would we define our children by the clothes they wear? We still have the same uniform, we simply removed all references to gender in our uniform policy. Removing the association of ‘boys’ or ‘girls’ with particular clothes in a school uniform policy may not change the way students dress.”
Cavendish Community Primary School in Manchester introduced a gender neutral uniform last September. Its uniform policy, posted on the school website, makes no mention of boys or girls. Children can wear red sweatshirts, white shirts and either grey or black trousers or skirts.
Educate & Celebrate, a charity which champions LGBT issues in schools, yesterday said 150 schools have gender neutral uniforms as part of its best practice programme. Professor Alan Smithers said last night, “Boys’ clothes have always struck me as more acceptable than those of girls. It’s reasonable, I think, to have the same uniform for both – trousers and shirts. But allowing boys to wear skirts could be unsettling and confusing to some children and is unnecessary.”
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