LifestyleSchoolsA parent has hit out at their daughter's school for allegedly 'banning' girls from wearing shorts under their skirts and dresses - and says their reasoning for it doesn't make logical sense12:33, 06 Jul 2026A school has been slammed for allegedly 'banning' girls from wearing shorts under their skirts and dresses. The primary school, which remains unnamed, has allegedly banned children from wearing cycling shorts or similar garments under their summer uniform.‌According to a parent, the school reportedly claims it's "not proper" for children to wear these extra pieces of clothing, but parents believe they're necessary to protect their child's modesty. On social media, the anonymous parent vented:‌"I've got a meeting with the school soon so will ask then, but it's really bugging me and I wanted to see if I'm missing something obvious. My daughter is starting school this year, and we're getting all the details for reception through, including the uniform requirements.‌"It's very explicit in all of the guides that cycling shorts etc worn under skirts or dresses are NOT permitted for the girls to wear."This seems kind of wild to me and I can't think of a sensible reason why that would be the case? Is it just because it's not "proper"? Anyone else have similar rules with their kids and know a legit reason?"The parent went on to explain how their four-year-old daughter's priority at school is learning through play, so she wouldn't be thinking about protecting her modesty while wearing a dress.‌They said: "My four-year-old is not the best at protecting her modesty when she plays, bless her, and hey, why should she be? Enjoy yourself. But we tend to have a pair of shorts on under dresses for comfort and decency."Commenting on the post, one user said: "I have five girls, four of whom are school age. Our school does say that they shouldn't be visible to maintain uniformity, but they're not prohibiting them.‌"We just use black ones to make them less obvious while playing, but personally I'd not feel comfortable sending my girls in just wearing knickers under their dress, especially not at that young an age. I'd talk to the school."Another user added: "Having now had two daughters go through primary and into secondary, I would guess this rule has been made following some sort of fad for year 6 girls to have brightly coloured knee-length cycling shorts showing from under their dresses."Probably mixed in with some general year 6 girl end-of-summer-term catiness for those not wearing them for good measure.Article continues below"I can't begin to imagine that a primary school is policing the little cycling shorts in a neutral colour everyone here is thinking of (round here they call them cartwheel or kick shorts), but I can imagine it's a great rule for when half of year 6 yet again turn up in bright pink Nike Pro or Lululemon cycling shorts or cropped leggings and take the mick out of little Milly for not having them."I might be wrong, but it's definitely the vibe I'm getting."A third user said: "They tried to police girls wearing shorts under their skirts when I was in primary school. My mum just asked the deputy headmaster who was pushing this, 'How do you know what the girls are wearing under their skirts?' and it suddenly wasn't a problem anymore."Choose Daily Mirror as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.‌ParentingSchools