The headteacher of a top private school has launced an investigation into allegations of ‘sexism’ after claims girls were forced to kneel while teachers measured the length of their skirts.
Female teachers at the £15,000-a-year King’s School in Worcester are accused of enforcing ‘blatantly sexist rules’ and failing to punish bullies.
Headmaster Gareth Doodes has confirmed he has now launched a safeguarding probe after being told of the claims.
Allegations of female pupils having the length of their skirts measured were revealed on whistle-blowing website Everyone’s Invited.
Allegations of ‘sexist rules’ and female pupils being forced to kneel so the length of their skirts could be measured were revealed on whistle-blowing website Everyone’s Invited
Headmaster Gareth Doodes has confirmed he has now launched a safeguarding probe after being told of the claims posted on the whistleblowing site
Created last year, the Everyone’s Invited website has seen contributions surge since the murder of Sarah Everard from South London last month.
Hundreds of prestigious private schools have been named and shamed in a sex scandal that has engulfed Britain’s entire education sector.
Many other women have also used the platform to reveal their ordeals within the state education system, at university or the family home.
The anonymous post on Everyone’s Invited site, which was launched by campaigner Soma Sara, 22, and Meadow Walker, the daughter of late actor Paul Walker, read: ‘In the uniform rules it said that a girl’s skirt had to be 10cm above the knees when kneeling so several teachers made girls kneel to measure their skirts.
‘I remember walking out of cathedral and seeing teachers taking girls off and making them kneel on the cathedral floor just to check their skirt length.
‘This is the same school that would not let us show our ankles and made us wear full tracksuits (when we) were in our sports kit, even if it was 30 degrees and the middle of summer.
‘The saddest thing was that female teachers even enforced the blatantly sexist rules.
‘They made us think that our bodies should be covered and that it was our responsibility to make sure men wouldn’t look at us.’
The post went on to detail allegations of inappropriate sexual behaviour between a number of the male pupils towards girls at the school.
King’s School caters for 1,467 boys and girls aged 2-18 and received an ‘Excellent’ Ofsted rating.
King’s School (pictured, stock image) caters for 1,467 boys and girls aged 2-18 and received an ‘Excellent’ Ofsted rating
The Everyone’s Invited post added: ‘This is the same school where guys used to go around daring each other to grab girls (bottoms).
‘And the same school that instead of dealing with reported racism, sexism and bullying in the school decided instead to change the uniform so that skirts were below the knee and couldn’t be rolled up, like that was the biggest problem they had.’
The allegations are now being investigated by school chiefs, with the headteacher urging anyone affected by ‘unacceptable treatment’ to report it.
He also said he was ‘pleased’ that pupils have an ‘opporunity’ to share their experiences on the whistleblowing site.
Headmaster Mr Doodes said: ‘I am aware that King’s has been mentioned [on Everyone’s Invited].
‘Immediately I informed my designated safeguarding lead.
‘We take all allegations extremely seriously and will be looking into this immediately after the Easter break.
‘I am pleased girls have an opportunity to disclose trauma through Everyone’s Invite but would encourage anyone from any school who feels their treatment by fellow pupils or staff has been unacceptable to also contact the safeguarding lead.
‘Details can be found on every UK educational institution’s website so such sensitive yet damaging issues can be investigated further.’
The schools uniform policy is shared online and requires skirts to be worn ‘on the knee’.
Their uniform guide for years nine to 11 states: ‘Skirts should be worn and should be on the knee and no more than 5 cm above the knee when kneeling (i.e. 5 cm above the mid point of the knee cap).’
It adds: ‘Girls wearing a skirt which is too short for them will be asked to replace it with a new, longer skirt.’
Girls can also wear ‘slim leg or regular fit’ trousers ‘in a formal style’ – although ‘skinny or jegging style trousers are not permitted’.
Notable former pupils at the school, which was founded by Henry VIII in 1541, include Conservative MP Richard Bacon, the late comedian Rik Mayall and Sky News presenter Jeremy Thompson.
