School threatens to take girls out of class for wearing trousers that are too TIGHT instead of 'baggy' pants designed for boys

Pupils at Comberton Village College near Cambridge taken aside by head

• Peter Law said they'd be taught in isolation if they wore the wrong trousers
• Year ten pupil Erica Parr, 15, of Cambridge, said: 'The whole thing is stupid'
• Parents of children at the 1,369-pupil secondary school say it is 'petty'
• But Mr Law says children need to adhere to the school's high standards

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Comberton Village College pupil Erica Parr, 15, says she was one of 100 pupils told to wear baggier trousers - or face being taught in isolation

Schoolgirls have been told they will be taught in isolation if they persist in wearing tight trousers.

Around 100 female pupils at Comberton Village College in Cambridge were called in by the school head this week and told they will be taught separately if they don't wear baggier trousers.

Headmaster Peter Law claimed girls at the 1,369-pupil secondary school eight miles outside Cambridge were wearing the clothes as an 'act of defiance', and threatened them with isolation if they refused to change them.

But students and parents have hit back, accusing the school of being 'petty'.

Year ten pupil Erica Parr, 15, said she had worn the same style of trousers for three years without a complaint.

Miss Parr, who is from Cambridge, said: 'They want us to wear boys’ trousers. I got up and walked out and went back to my lesson.

'I told them the whole thing is stupid. We’re sat in this dining hall being asked questions about our trousers when we’ve got exams coming up.

'I think they have got their priorities all wrong.'

Her mother, Kate Bourne, accused the school of being 'naive' in hoping the girls will adopt the baggier trousers.

The mother-of-three said: 'Teenage girls are going to be teenage girls. They are starting to flex their wings and they are finding their independence.

 

'They don’t want to be labelled as a dork because girls are very self-conscious.

'I don’t think it’s gone as far as sending kids home but some were sent in isolation.  If you want a strict uniform policy then bring one in, but I think this is all just a bit petty.'

In a letter to parents, Peter Law said the school would continue to apply the uniform policy, but if students refuse to adhere to it, they would not attend 'normal lessons'.

Today he said the school had brought in dozens of spare trousers to hand out to offending pupils.

Letter: Headteacher Peter Law wrote to parents asking them to ensure their children wore the right trousers

Mr Law said: 'Any school will tell you that over time pupils will, in small ways, challenge rules, and it is the job of the school to keep up high standards.

'Fashions come and go, and in recent times students have moved towards wearing particularly tight trousers.

'It is an ongoing thing and every school across the country will have this conversation with pupils.

'I would never send a student home, we want to avoid that. I think it would be very unsuitable for this situation.

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Miss Parr, from Cambridge, said she would rather prepare for her exams than worry about tight trousers

'[But] If they continue to refuse, that is more about defiance and they may well be taken out of classes and given work to do alone.

'We have brought along a large stock of girls trousers which we will hand out to students.'

The uniform policy for trousers, which recommends a supplier, states: 'These should be plain black, full length and of a traditional school uniform style.

'They should have no studs, patch pockets, decoration or distinctive belt. Jeans, jean-style trousers and leggings are not allowed.'

Two years ago Mandy Entwistle was angry with Swavesey Village College, also in Cambridgeshire, after staff sent her 15-year-old daughter home for wearing trousers deemed too tight around her ankles.