How short should a school skirt be?

When it comes to the red carpet - the shorter the skirt better.

The likes of pop princess Cheryl Cole and teenage favourite Miley Cyrus certainly love hiking up their hems and it has done their careers no harm.

But while the thigh's the limit in showbiz circles the trend for ever higher hemlines is causing much more consternation as it filters down to the classroom. The issue of length and school skirts has hit the headlines this week.

A school in Harrogate banned them in favour of trousers to stop pupils wearing them shorter and shorter.

But the mini is nothing new - it was the satorial emblem of a girl's freedom in the swinging sixties and has been a fashion favourite of the young ever since.

But do short skirts belong at school? And have pupils raised that hemline too high?

Shropshire mothers today claimed school skirts were too short although stopped short of calling for a ban altogether.

Concern

Michelle Handley, from Muxton, said that the length of skirts worn by young girls to school was a concern as was the amount of make-up they wear.

Her daughter Chloe, 14, is a student at Newport Girls High School. "They are all raising the hemline of their skirts and it is a worry for parents," said Michelle.

"It's not that I necessarily think we should be talking about them sending out the wrong signals. It is more to do with a respect issue and about girls looking smart and ready to work.

"I believe they should be more appropriately dressed for school because it helps in terms of them seeing it as something they should take seriously. It's not a fashion parade."

Ben Jason, marketing manager at Shrewsbury High School, said they did not feel it was an issue that required any kind of action such as a ban and that individual students were spoken to if a member of staff felt their uniform was not appropriate for any reason.

"We have a specific skirt supplied for the school which we feel is appropriate and we have very few problems with pupils not adhering to the uniform supplied because it is part of belonging to the school community," he added.

Sir Kevin Satchwell, headteacher at Thomas Telford School, said that girls could wear the designated skirts or trousers to school and that policy would not change for the forseeable future.

By Women's Editor Tracey O'Sullivan

School skirt policies in Shropshire

• Priory School, Shrewsbury: Girls can wear a bottle green skirt in a choice of styles but it must be within two inches/ 5cm of the knee.

• The Grove School, Market Drayton: The uniform requires a dark grey or black skirt of approximately knee length and trousers of a traditional school type.

• Idsall School, Shifnal: Skirts must be appropriate for work in terms of material, style and length. Skirts should be straight and not tightly tailored or of a stretchy 'lycra' type material. Skirts must be worn on the knee and not of high waisted style. Splits should be of an appropriate length for school.

• William Brookes School, Much Wenlock: Trousers and skirts should be of a smart, conventional, school uniform style and should be black in colour. Skirt lengths should be sensible - not too short or too long.

• Wrekin School: A regulation skirt is supplied for fifth form and below while sixth formers are advised that during the working day, girls must wear a smart, tailored grey or black skirt that is no longer than calf length and no shorter than five centimetres above the knee. The skirt may be straight or pleated to taste, but must not be split above the knee or figure hugging.

• Thomas Telford School: Official grey kilt style skirt with tab (Fyfe & Allan Style No 116) (length must be below the knee to a maximum of mid-calf).

Do you worry about the length of the skirt your daughter wears to school? Or do you remember hiking up your own hemline when you went to school and think it does no harm? Maybe you think a ban in favour of trousers is a good idea. Write and tell us your story or give your opinion on school skirts to starfeatures@shropshirestar.co.uk