Schoolboys who wore skirts to school win battle for shorts in hot weather

Headteacher praises pupil's "resourcefulness" after they stage protest

Boys wear skirts to school after being told shorts were not part of the uniform (BBC)

The boys who wore skirts to school to protest about its uniform policy, have won the right to wear shorts.

As temperatures soared last month, male pupils at Exeter's Isca Academy became frustrated that they were required to wear trousers.

So dozens of them borrowed skirts from their female peers to protest - making national headlines in the process.

Now headteacher Aimee Mitchell has confirmed they were successful.

If the hot weather returns this term she said in a letter to parents that the boys will now be allowed to wear their PE kit. Tailored charcoal grey shorts will become part of the official summer uniform next year, she added.

Praising the boys’ “initiative and resourcefulness” and "the good spirit in which they expressed their views", she wrote: "I feel they were great ambassadors for the Academy and we feel proud that our school fosters independent and lateral thinking young people.”

Should a heatwave return before the end of term, parents will be notified that pupils can wear their PE shorts if they wish to, she added.

The boys had claimed the uniform policy was unfair because girls could be “cool” and bare legged in the hot weather but not them. Before their protest, some of the boys reportedly shaved their legs after being told they were too “hairy”.

Speaking to DevonLive, one of the boys’ parents said she was “very proud” of the boys’ successful initiative.

She said: ”I'm glad that they did it because it makes them feel that they are visible and that they will be heard if they speak to the right people and that adults will support them. They were just amazing. And they were amazed at the way it went viral all over the world. It was crazy."