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Girls in Northern Ireland given right to wear trousers in schools

Stock image of two students, photographed from the waist down. A girl is wearing a black shirt and tights, a boy is wearing black trousers and a white shirt. Both are holding black backpacks and standing on blue stairs.Getty Images

Girls will be allowed to wear trousers throughout the school year including for PE

From next year, girls in Northern Ireland will be allowed wear trousers in school if they want to and, schools won't be allowed to stop them.

That's because the minister in charge of education in Northern Ireland, Paul Givan, said that from the start of the 2027/2028 school year, schools will be banned from stopping girls wearing trousers.

The minister explained that this change will not apply during the 2026/27 academic year, in order to allow schools to change their uniform policies.

Many girls across Northern Ireland have been campaigning for this change for a long time.

So what are the rules in other parts of the UK?

Three girls standing with their backs to the camera. They are each wearing a different school uniform and carrying backpacks.Getty Images

Wales

In Wales, school uniforms are gender neutral meaning boys and girls are not forced to wear skirts or trousers based on their gender.

The Welsh Government's guidelines for school uniform were created in 2011, but became compulsory in 2019.

Scotland

The Scottish government website says schools should be flexible about their policies to promote gender equality.

"Pupils should be encouraged to make their own choices for example whether they would prefer to wear skirts or trousers," the website says.

England

And in England, schools are allowed to have different uniform and hairstyle requirements for girls and boys and to specify that certain options are just for girls or boys.

That's as long as those requirements are not unfair under the law.

The government policy says: "Some schools provide a choice of uniform that can be worn by both boys and girls and offers flexibility."

That's to "maintain flexibility and avoid rigid rules based on gender stereotypes," the government said.

The government also advises schools to "take a sensible approach" to allow changes because of extreme weather for example "allowing trousers to be worn instead of skirts in very cold weather".