School's fresh look at girls' trouser ban

Whanganui High School is considering changes to its uniform. The uniform received national attention when student Karla Mills was sent home for wearing trousers. Photo / Supplied

Girls at Whanganui High School may be able to wear pants as part of a new school uniform from next year.

The change is one of the possible outcomes possible from a uniform review which the school is currently undertaking.

Earlier this year student Karla Mills was sent home because she wore trousers to school in violation of the school's uniform policy.

She later appeared on TVNZ's Fair Go arguing that making girls wear skirts was "following the rules from the 1950s".

"We should be catching up with the times and not living in the past," she said.

"Most women you see walk down the street wear pants or shorts, not skirts."

This week principal Martin McAllen said it was too early to say whether girls would be allowed to wear trousers in the future.

"That's just one of a number of possibilities," he said.

Students, staff and board members make up the committee reviewing the uniform and a survey had been sent to staff, students and parents.

"We've had a really wide range of responses - and for everyone that wants something changed, there's someone who has the opposite view," Mr McAllen said.

"Overall, the parents have more conservative opinions on the uniform than the students. And we found it interesting that the student group with the highest response rate was the Year 10s."

He said the uniform committee was currently going through the survey responses, then the results forwarded to the school's senior management, then to the board of trustees.

"Any decision about the uniform will be made in term four, and any changes that happen will be brought in 2018."