A school in Ipswich is set to ban skirts in a bid to make girls wear their uniform in an appropriate way.

The Evening Star can reveal that Northgate High School has removed skirts from the uniform list in a bid to stop students coming into school “in inappropriate” attire.

The school, which is based in Sidegate Lane, informed parents of the changes in April and that the plans were were due to be enforced from September.

In past terms, the ever-rising hemlines of skirts has led staff at Northgate to send some students home to change or giving them school owned skirts instead.

David Hutton, headteacher at the school, said: “At Northgate we expect pupils to be well behaved and comply with rules.

“In return they receive a good education in a positive learning environment, which is why the school is over-subscribed.

“Unfortunately despite contacting parents, sending some girls home to change and requiring others to wear a school-owned skirt we still had some girls coming to school in inappropriate skirts.

“I have therefore introduced a trousers only policy. Kesgrave and St Alban’s High Schools already have such a policy, which has made a huge difference for the better.

“Since I wrote to parents only two have contacted me with concerns. One was about a financial circumstance, which we can help with. The other was a primary school parent who was unaware of the actions the school had already taken.

“The vast majority of our parents work hard to uphold high standards and I thank them for their continued support.”

The news comes as St Albans High School in Digby Road prepare to ban meat from the school canteens on Fridays.

A statement on the school’s website said: “From September 16, the Catholic Church have reinstated the Friday abstinence from eating meat. This means the school canteen will not serve meat on a Friday.”

The Evening Star previously revealed that St Albans High School banned skirts in September 2010.

The plans sparked concerns amongst students who signed up to an online petition group on the social networking site Facebook. In 2004, Kesgrave High School became the first school in the country to ban skirts.

Head of Governors at the time, Margaret Young said the decision was taken after hemlines rose to an inappropriate level.