IRELAND: Boys Will Be Allowed To Wear Skirts To School & Toilet Signs Taken Down As School Adopts "Gender-Neutral" Policy

A primary school in Ireland will begin letting boys wear skirts from September. Following request from pupils, St Brigid's National School, in Wicklow, south of Dublin, Ireland, will begin allowing male students wear the school's tartan skirts to school. 

The school agreed to the proposal put forward by the student council. The school will also take down the boys and girls toilet signs as part of the scheme. Staff hope this will let children feel comfortable, DublinLive reports.

Under the new rules pupils are free to dress in line with the gender they identify as, which teachers hope will help to make everyone feel welcome and accepted.

Principal Maire Costello says some children are questioning their sexual identities from an early age and they want to make sure everyone has a happy experience during their education. She told The Irish Times: "If that means girls wearing trousers or boys wearing skirts, so be it. The most important thing is that children should feel comfortable and happy over how they are dressed."

Girls will also be allowed to wear grey trousers as the boys are being allowed to don the tartan skirt if they prefer either. This will take effect from September. It is believed many more schools across Ireland and England could now follow suit.

The headteacher said the reaction to the scheme has been positive and heaped praise on the student council for their great work in coming up with the suggestion.

She said: "I’m very proud of them. They did their research and surveyed pupils ... they made the case to the board who were fully behind them."