Four schoolboys were sent home from school in Brighton, UK for wearing shorts on the hottest day of the year, a sweltering 92 degrees.

Administrators at Longhill High School instructed the boys to return the following day wearing proper uniform attire.

Michael Parker, Kodi Ailing, George Boyland and Jesse Stringer, all 14, decided to take advantage of the school’s gender-neutral uniform code and wear skirts for the remainder of the week.

What started out partially as a joke, turned into a protest against the school’s policy to only allow female students to wear shorts and skirts during the summer, but boys are only allowed to wear long pants.

The boys also pointed to the school’s lack of air conditioning as another reason for the unfair policy.

Michael’s mother Angela Parker, told Metro: “On Tuesday, the hottest day of the year so far, several of the boys went in to school in regulation PS shorts with a school logo on.”

“They were all told to go home and put trousers on and told they are not allowed to wear shorts, even though girls are allowed to wear short skirts with bare legs and stay cool.”

“It’s discriminatory against boys why should they be punished? The school doesn’t let them have a drink of water during class and the rooms aren’t air conditioned. It’s quite hypocritical as well as all the male teachers were wearing shorts and t-shirts.”

Head of school Kate Williams agreed that the boys could wear skirts to school, saying, “Students can choose to wear any part of the agreed school uniform.”