Schoolboys can now wear skirts as part of their uniform, just as girls have been allowed to wear trousers. It’s a move that’s come after continued lobbying from LGBT communities , and marks an increasing spotlight on gender equality and acceptance of diversity in British schools. The Independent today reported that "80 state institutions", which includes 40 primary schools, have edited, or altogether scrapped their uniform dress codes, in line with supporting students' rights to choose what they wear to school every day.

Last week MPs were told of growing concerns over girls being forced to wear shorts under their skirts at school in order to combat sexual harassment from their male peers. The Women and Equalities Committee who launched an inquiry into the safety of young girls in schools in April of this year discussed their concerns that skirts mean girls are made more vulnerable in the classroom and playground. One lobbyist, Sophie Bennett, co-director of UK Feminista , said: "We've heard from girls who tell us you don't leave school as a girl without being called a slut, that to wear shorts under your skirt to prevent boys revealing your underwear in the playground is just normal behaviour. So there is that sense of a normalised culture of sexual harassment in schools where girls don't feel able to report it and instead change their own behaviour, such as wearing shorts under their skirts."