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Another September 2012 ban has just come to light - this one at Castle Hall Academy in Mirfield, West Yorkshire. In a newsletter (click here) the school claims this will only be for one year. Whether they mean that is another matter.

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The first day of the 2012/13 school year and the first ban is announced. Haute Vallee School in Jersey is bringing in a trousers-only policy for all its 700 odd pupils. See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-jersey-19464424

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So here's the state of play as of 6th July -

First the good news - the bans at Thomas Clarkson school, Cambridgeshire and Glan y Mor,  Gywnedd are both going - the former from September and the latter with immediate effect.

In terms of new bans, I currently know of six:

- Eastwood Academy, Southend

- Freman College, Hertfordshire

- Moulton school, Northamptonshire

- Monkwearmouth school, Sunderland

- Churchill Academy, North Somerset (years 9-11 only)

- Withernsea High School, East Yorkshire

Last year there were 15 new bans by the end of term, and 1 ban lifted, so it looks like 2012 will be slower than 2011, which is good news.

Maps and tables will be updated later.

Bans threatened but withdrawn

- Herne Bay School, Kent

- Cecil Jones School, Southend

- Norton College, North Yorkshire

- Hipperholme and Lightfoot School, Calderdale

- UCA Academy Northwich, Chester and Cheshire West

- Endeavour Academy, Suffolk

- Greensward Academy. Essex

- Coleshill School, Warwickshire

- Colne School, Essex

 Update - 13th August 2012

The following now have bans, in addition to those listed above

- Leeds West Academy, Leeds

- Dixons City Academy, Bradford

- Bath Community Academy, Bath and North East Somerset

- Martin High School, Liecestershire

- Ipswich Academy, Suffolk

- Suffolk New Academy, Suffolk

Overall the numbers are very much the same as in 2010 and 2009, but much less than 2011

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Late last year, Eastwood Academy in Southend, Essex hit the headlines when it announced it is to ban skirts from this September. The head, Neil Houchen, duly did the rounds in the papers and on local radio claiming widespread support for his actions. That looked very dubious at the time and the evidence that has emerged since proves the case,

The school’s claim of support was based on its ‘survey’ of parents, pupils and staff. It claimed a 30% return rate from parents and presumably at least that rate from pupils, which would mean teachers would have been very much a minority. The ‘survey’ consisted of five leading questions (see here), which were clearly set up to produce a predetermined result. According to information on the school website there was no ‘do you think skirts should be banned?’ question.

Anyone who knows anything about surveys knows that you can get almost any result you want by asking the right leading questions, as this clip from Yes Prime Minister neatly illustrates (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0ZZJXw4MTA). Moreover agreeing that ‘a short skirt length compromises the decency and modest of a child’ in no way implies agreeing with a ban.

All that is old news. The new aspect has to do with nearby Cecil Jones College, which, inspired by the politically correct Eastwood flirted with a ban itself. To that end it also ran a survey consisting of exactly the same five leading questions followed by a sixth – ‘I am in favour of a trouser-only policy’. The results of the final question are below.

Again don’t forget about the leading questions. Were they replaced with ones like ‘do you think children respond to discipline?’. ‘do you think it shows extreme weakness when a school does not enforce its own rules?’ and ‘do you think anti-sexist degendering should be a school priority?‘, there would have been a near unanimous ‘no’ response to the final question.

Two other quick points about the survey replies – hardly any parents responded, which means it cannot have been properly promoted and the replies they did get probably reflect a small hard core on either side. Secondly look how lopsided the teacher numbers are. Clear support for a trousers-only policy for female staff me thinks.

Anyway the point is did Eastwood also ask a ban question and then suppress the results? My guess is they did and it did not go their way. They have not replied to my Freedom of Information request beyond a courtesy saying they would. Why do that if you have nothing to hide? If that is what happened then there should be serious consequences for the head and for the governors.

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The Grove School, in rural northern Shropshire has been in the local news after trying to impose a skirt ban - but just for six weeks.

The Shropshire Star reports that the school is moving from a polo shirt to a jacket and tie uniform from September, as has already happened in hundreds of schools nationwide. However it has also decided to ban skirts from June 11th, but to allow them again next year, but only one type purchased from a particular shop. The school now says it will allow the new skirt to be worn from June, which looks like a panic reaction to parental criticism and which reads that way if you look at the letters on the school's website.

So no ban, but nearly one. More than that though, what on earth is a school doing changing its uniform in mid-June when year 11 pupils have just a couple of weeks of compulsory schooling left? Those still in school will grow during the summer - which is why parents try not to buy uniform too far in advance. The school needs to get a grip.

(UPDATE - This blog posting http://qwertymum.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/uniform-u-turn.html, which evidently relates to the same school shows that at least some parents see things the same way)

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