For the war against inappropriately short school-uniform hemlines, it is the nuclear option. Like the war on drugs or the war on terror, the struggle between implacable authorities and their tirelessly inventive foes over what is worn in schools is perennial and almost certainly futile. Pupils have hitched and rolled up their skirts since time immemorial and teachers have been forced to brandish tape measures and, ultimately, suspend or expel recalcitrant teens.
Now, however, as those unwelcome back-to-school posters go up in shop windows, female students are finding their autumn-term shopping lists are skirtless. Northgate School in Ipswich is the latest in a growing number of secondary schools to make girls wear trousers. "Unfortunately, despite contacting specific parents, sending some girls home to change, requiring others to wear a school-owned skirt for the day and repeatedly asking others to unroll their skirts at the waist, we still had some girls coming to school in inappropriate skirts," explained headteacher David Hutton. "I have therefore introduced a trousers-only policy, which will enable my staff to focus their time and effort on providing pupils with the best education possible.