One boy told Devon Live he had been told on Wednesday the skirt was too short and his legs too hairy. Some of the boys had taken this into account and bought razors to shave their legs.

One boy in year nine wearing a skirt said the protest had started with five boys wearing skirts but he expected “hundreds” to follow suit. Asked if he was enjoying the experience, he said he appreciated the “nice breeze”.

Another said it was “quite refreshing”, pointing out that if even Royal Ascot had allowed racegoers in the royal enclosure to remove their jackets then the school ought to relax its dress code.