Schoolboy wears skirt in uniform policy protest

Oscar, 13, decided to take a stand against his school's uniform policy

A teenager who felt unwell due to the heat in the classroom and yard has taken a stand against his school's "unfair " uniform policy.

Oscar, who attends Ysgol Bro Dinefwr in Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire, decided to wear his sister's skirt to school instead of trousers.

He said it was "fun and jokes" but he and his peers hoped to prompt a rule change to allow shorts to be worn.

His mum said she was "surprised" by her son's "gutsy" protest.

The school said it is "monitoring" the situation as the hot weather continues.

Oscar, 13, said he wore the skirt because the uniform policy stated that shorts were not allowed.

“I was getting hot and bothered and I just couldn’t really cope with it at all,” he said.

“It was all fun and jokes. We were all joking. But everyone was supportive.

“If it’s a school’s decision then we should go by it, because we don’t want to break the rules. But I hope they do change their decision.”

His mum, Hannah, said Oscar asked if he could wear a skirt last summer, but she was “a bit worried he’d get in trouble or get picked on”.

'A gutsy thing to do'

She said: “He was insistent this summer.

“I was very surprised when he did it as it was a gutsy thing to do.

“You do just have to take a stand, otherwise nothing’s going to change.”

She added that the introduction of a summer uniform is the “only way forward”.

“It’s definitely something with climate change - summers are a lot hotter than when we were at school now. It’s just not fair on the children," she said.

“Oscar often says he can’t concentrate and he gets very hot and sweaty, feeling ill sometimes when he gets hot at school.”

Head teacher at Ysgol Bro Dinefwr, Eirian Davies, said: “With the weather now warming we will be monitoring the situation in classes and across the school to ensure temperatures are comfortable for everyone.

“We have [on Friday] allowed pupils the option of wearing their PE kit and will notify parents of any further changes in good time.”