11/13/23, 9:02 AM Girls asked not to wear thongs at school | Schools | The Guardian

Schools
Girls asked not to wear thongs at school

Press Association
Wed 28 May 2003 13.09 BST

A primary headteacher has written to parents asking them to stop their daughters wearing thongs, it emerged today.

Headteacher Anna Roxburgh wrote to parents of Year 6 girls, aged 10 and 11, after hearing that some were wearing the garments
at Hamp Junior school in Bridgwater, Somerset.

In her letter she said she had spoken to several girls after she found out they wore thongs to the mixed-sex school, which has 270
pupils aged seven to 11. She said she would prefer pupils not to wear thongs to school and asked parents to support her.

The letter read: "This is not due to any personal objection on my part, but out of concern for the girls' possible embarrassment
while changing for PE or playing out in the playground, ie falling over or playing handstands and so on."

She assured parents there would be no checks on pupils' underwear to make sure they were conforming with her request.

Kate Strathearn, a parent at the school, said she saw nothing wrong with the thongs.

"I have not told my daughter not to wear them and I do not ask her in the morning what she is wearing. She is 11 and she has a
good head on her shoulders."

Another mother, Annie Milton, said she thought the letter was "unbelievable", adding: "Schools lay down enough rules without
going right down to undergarments."

Michele Elliott, director of the child protection charity Kidscape, however, fully supported the headteacher's letter. She said:
"Thongs are designed to be sexy. Thongs are designed to ensure that you do not show a panty line through tight-fitting clothes.
Why on earth would you send a child to school with clothes that tight? I think the headteacher is absolutely right and I think the
parents need to rethink their child protection roles.

A spokeswoman for Somerset local education authority said: "It's up to the individual school to decide the code of dress."

Last year, the retail chain Argos came under fire for launching a range of underwear for girls as young as nine, which included G-
strings and padded bras. The company defended its decision by saying that was the underwear children wanted. Earlier this year,
department store Bhs withdrew its Little Miss Naughty range of padded bras and knickers for pre-teen girls.

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