25/04/2026
The school said boys couldn't wear shorts in 32-degree heat. The boys read the uniform rules and found a loophole.
In June 2017, during one of the hottest weeks in Britain in 40 years, around 30 boys at Isca Academy, a secondary school in Exeter, Devon, turned up to class in tartan skirts. The reason: their school uniform only permitted long trousers for boys, even as temperatures climbed past 32°C. Shorts were not an option.
The protest started small. On June 21, five boys wore borrowed skirts from friends and sisters. The next day, the number had grown to around 30, with some estimates closer to 50. One mother told Devon Live that her son had been told he would be placed in isolation for the rest of the week if he wore shorts. When the boys pointed out the unfairness that girls could go bare-legged, the headteacher reportedly said — likely sarcastically — that they were welcome to wear skirts too. The boys took her up on it.
One of the students described the experience as "quite refreshing." Photos of the tartan-clad boys went viral on Twitter and attracted support from across the country.
Within days, the school issued a statement. Headteacher Aimee Mitchell confirmed that none of the boys would be punished and that shorts would be added to the uniform for the following school year, after consultation with students and parents. The protest worked.
