Cambridge Skirt Protest

10 May 2011, 13:56 | Updated: 10 May 2011, 14:09

A 12 year old schoolboy who goes to a college near Cambridge has gone into lessons wearing a skirt, in protest at some uniform policy.

Chris Whitehead, who is in year eight at Impington Village College, has been wearing his sister's skirt to lessons today and yesterday.

He is protesting against a school uniform policy that states pupils may wear skirts during the summer, but not shorts.

Chris said: ''In the summer girl students are allowed to wear skirts but boys are not allowed to wear shorts.

We think that this discriminates against boys. 

I will march in a skirt with other boys waving banners and making a lot of noise.

I will be wearing the skirt at school all day in protest at the uniform policy and addressing the assembly with the student council, wearing a skirt."

His dad Brian said: ''It's a very creative and imaginative idea to make a clear point. I was worried about him getting picked on but he just shrugged his shoulders.

Hopefully if Chris puts across a competent argument as to why the rules should be changed the school might look at altering the policy."

Robert Campbell, Principal of Impington Village College, said: "Our uniform policy does not state girls' and boys' uniforms because we can't be seen as being discriminatory.  

So Chris is perfectly within his rights to wear a skirt to school.

What Chris has done is raise the issue in an entirely legitimate way.

I think it will be right to start thinking about uniform again in September.

It has prompted a re-evaluation and think we'll have another debate because of this protest."