Warriner School near Banbury backs down on skirt ban after receiving feedback from survey

Following the results of a survey sent to parents, students, staff, and school governors, the school has decided to postpone any planned uniform changes.

The proposed changes, which most notably included the outright banning of girls wearing skirts, caused outrage amongst students and parents and resulted in many of the school’s students organising protests that caused the school to close for the day and employ extra security for the following week.

In a letter sent to parents last Friday (March 17), head of school Dr. Annabel Kay thanked parents and students who took part in the survey and informed them about the school’s latest decision.

She said: "As a result of this consultation, we will not make any changes to girls’ uniform in September 2023. Instead, we will continue to work with the student council to consider a range of skirt styles and designs. We will then consult with you on those options. Any changes that we agree as a community will be phased."

The letter also noted that tailored shorts will now be an option for students to be worn all year round and that a new PE kit will be introduced for the new year seven intake.

A parent of a child at the school, Alice Briers, said that she was proud of the student's work in overturning the decision and praised the solidarity of students and parents on the issue. Talking about the survey, she said: "I was able to express my concerns and opinions in-depth as the comment fields were not limited. I'm very proud of the young people as well as the parents for standing in solidarity on this.

"My child was told in assembly that 100 per cent of responses were not happy with the uniform changes! So it's good news."

The row over the school's uniform policy started last month (February 23), when the parents of the school received letters informing them of changes to the uniform that were due to come in at the beginning of September.

The school has said it will continue to work with students and parents on a range of skirt designs and will agree on any future decisions as a community.