Boy pupils wear skirts to school in a stand against shorts ban during heatwave

Pupils mount a surprise protest in skirts chanting 'we want to wear shorts'

Headmaster refuses to relax the rules despite soaring temperatures

Instead he has promised a risk assessment to guarantee pupil safety







A headteacher got his knickers in a twist when a group of boys ditched their trousers for skirts to help beat the heatwave that is currently gripping the country.



The 17-strong group of Year 10 boys at Whitchurch High School in Cardiff raised eyebrows when they emerged from the lavatory in female attire and strode around the school demanding to be allowed to wear shorts.

But the uprising was short lived, and they were promptly marched to headteacher Huw Jones-Williams' office and firmly ordered to get their trousers back on.



Defiant: Boys at the Cardiff school have vowed to continue the fight to be allowed to wear shorts

Protester Tyrone Evelyn, 15, was among those involved and vowed to continue campaigning for a change.

He said: 'It’s just appropriate for the weather, we don’t want to be hot and bothered.

'Over the last few days I’ve had a few headaches and skin irritations because I’ve been too hot.

'Girls can wear skirts, so I don’t see why we can’t wear shorts. It’s a reasonable protest.'



Tyrone and his friends wore trousers to school with the skirts stowed in their bags after they suspected some teachers had got wind of their protest, which they planned on Facebook.

Support: Protest organiser Tyrone Evelyn with his mother Andrea John, who says shorts should be optional, but headteacher Huw Jones-Williams is sticking to his guns

They then nipped into the loos and changed into the skirts, which they had borrowed from friends, before taking to the school corridors chanting, 'we want to wear shorts'.

The boys now plan to write to their student council in the hope the uniform will be changed for next summer.

Tyrone’s mother Andrea John, 51, said: 'It should be optional to wear three-quarter length shorts. It would cost exactly the same as if they wore trousers.'



But headteacher Huw Jones-Williams is sticking to his guns and has vowed to continue with the school's strict uniform policy, which permits girls to choose between skirts or trousers, but prevents boys from wearing shorts.

He said the school was carrying out risk assessments to ensure children were coping with the heat, which will involve visiting every classroom to find out how children are coping, and handing out bottles of water.

Although none of the boys was punished for their antics, Mr Jones-Williams refused to relax the rules without first holding a consultation.

Asked if Whitchurch could, like other schools in Cardiff, allow boys to wear PE shorts in class when the weather was extremely hot, Mr Jones-Williams said: 'I can’t comment on what other schools are doing.'



He added the school would continue to enforce its 'strict uniform policy', but also 'monitor the weather conditions'.

Cool look: Youngsters at Whitchurch High School wore skirts in protest at not being allowed to wear shorts in hot weather

Labour councillor for Whitchurch, Jonathan Evans - a governor at the school - admitted that when he was a youngster he led protests over having to wear school ties, but added it was important Mr Jones-Williams was able to make his own decisions over discipline issues.

The boys’ protest comes a month after train drivers in Sweden made international headlines by wearing skirts to work to protest against a policy that banned shorts.