Mum claims school's uniform policy is 'discriminatory' due to 'no shorts rule' despite hot weather

A mum says it's "gender discrimination" that her son is made to wear trousers in school following his exclusion not long after he changed into shorts from trousers on a hot day. The unnamed boy, who is in Year 9, is a pupil at Garibaldi School in Mansfield.

He was one of a number of boys who made the move to change into shorts midway through the school day on Monday, June 24 when temperatures rose as high as 26C. The school's headteacher claimed "a small minority of pupils were suspended for disrupting learning throughout the day."

The mum, who did not want to be named, said: "Girls get to go in skirts. Teachers get to go in whatever. But the boys have to wear trousers.

"I personally think it's gender discrimination. I just find it really harsh. It's really sad when they clearly felt so hot that day. They should have an option."

Temperatures in Mansfield hit 26C on Monday, which marked the first day of a mini-heatwave which swept over Britain this week. The boys had finished a PE lesson just before their lunch break.

After the lesson, they reportedly made a joint decision to change back into their shorts from their trousers, after having put their uniforms back on. They found an empty classroom to do so in.

But a teacher spotted them, and reportedly locked them in the classroom while assistance was sought from another teacher. In rebellion, the students tried to escape - with a number doing so successfully.

An assisting member of staff caught seven of them, however, before they had managed to clamber out. And after refusing to put trousers back on, three were excluded for half a day.

The next day, the mum whom Nottinghamshire Live spoke to says she sent her son back to the school on Tuesday, June 25. But not long later, she received a phone call from the school asking why he was there - with her then being told that his exclusion had been extended for three days, until the end of the week.

Garibaldi school headteacher James Aldred said: "The Garibaldi School is proud of the way our students present themselves with their uniform, but the wearing of shorts is not allowed throughout the year except for PE activities. We make adaptions during periods of hot weather and this week have informed students they do not need to wear their blazer at school throughout the day.

"A handful of students chose to wear shorts which is not part of school policy and they were asked to change back into trousers. A small minority of pupils were suspended for disrupting learning throughout the day.”