Students at the Merseyside school say they're now being forced to protest after what they've dubbed a "humiliating" process.

Youngsters at Rainford High School have alleged they get separated from the boys to have the lengths of the uniform skirts measured.

The students claim staff - including male teachers - are undertaking the task - seeing some girls burst into tears.

Summer, a sixth-form student, took part in the protest against the skirt measuring process at the school this week.

She told BBC: "It's annoying [the teachers] think we're protesting against the rule, [but] we're protesting how its being implemented - to have girls separated from boys.

"It's humiliating, and girls are leaving lessons crying.

"There is a minority that take it to the extreme and wear skirts too short. But they're branding everyone the same."

Rainford High has said it's currently working with students to find a "solution" - but didn't address students' claims about the skirt measuring process.

In October last year parents were sent a letter warning them "majority" of the schoolgirls were wearing their skirts "significantly north of knee length".

The school said skirts need to meet standards so pupils concentrate on work "without worrying that actions such as sitting down become overly precarious due to skirt length".

It also said students who fail to meet the uniform guidelines will "face challenges and potential sanctions".

A petition was started, which has garnered more than 1,000 signatures now, with some calling it "outdated" and "ridiculous".

Tony said his daughter was deeply upset when she got home from school, too.

He said his youngster told him: "When pupils returned after half term, they lined girls up and examined their skirts and told them, 'Yours is suitable, yours is not'.

"It was humiliating. My daughter was so upset about it."

Tony added his daughter had been given a detention for taking part in the protest on Wednesday.

He said: "I am so proud of my daughter for standing up for her beliefs, It's appalling how it's been handled."

A video uploaded to TikTok showed massive crowds of students gathering, with some holding signs.

It said the students were "protesting about skirts".

In a statement, Rainford High principal Ian Young told The Sun Online: "Like many schools, we have a clear uniform policy in place and understand there are often sensitivities around this matter.

"Student voice is important in all aspects of school life, and we have been keen to find an acceptable viewpoint on uniform from all members of our school community.

"Work has been, and is continuing to be, undertaken with our young people by consulting student leadership teams to find an agreeable solution for both staff and students.

"Our focus is for all our young people to exemplify and learn the importance of high standards and expectations, so they are ready to contribute to the wider community as successfully as possible."