to think this is unacceptable

[mileend2bermondsey]

Just found out that in my hometown high school PE activities are still split by gender. The boys do football and rugby, the girls do netball and hockey. When the girls do dance, the boys do tennis. I cant believe this seperation is still going on without question.

Apparantly if a child 'kicks up a fuss' about wanting to do a sport of the opposite gender they will be allowed to do it but would be the only boy or girl in the class, hence hardly any do.

I think this is outrageous, all children should be taught all sports available as standard. Why is a seperation based on gender neccessary, and why is this still going on?

[Alisvolatpropiis]

PE are generally split by sex not gender.

[ImperialBlether]

Only on MN!

[mileend2bermondsey]

Ah, yes see my mistake there.

Not really the point though was it?

[shouldnthavesaid]

Mine was the same - I finished secondary in 2009. The boys did football, rugby, athletics etc whilst the girls were taught disco dancing, gymnastics and did exercise dvds in the squash courts. I hated PE for several reasons but the inclination that I should want to do dancing as a girl was certainly one of them!

[Booyaka]

It sounds like there isn't a demand. Plus it would ruin PE for a lot of girls who wouldn't be able to compete against bigger stronger boys. And I really can't see many girls being happy to do contact sports like rugby with teenaged boys.

[ghostyslovesheep]

YANBU Both my older girls play football and hate that they can't play in school

[shouldnthavesaid]

We weren't allowed to switch. And not only were the classes split by gender but so were the teachers - the two females taught the girls only, the male teachers took the boys.

[ImperialBlether]

OP, my comment 'Only on MN' was to the pedant known as Alisvolatpropiis.

[JeepersMcoy]

Is this really true? Is this normal? I had no idea schools separated PE by sex. I am amazed an appalled! [shocked]

[JeepersMcoy]

So appalled I can't even do a face right! That's how darn shocked I am!

[Alisvolatpropiis]

It really doesn't bother me.

Yes the boys and girls should be given the option to do a variety of sports. I'd imagine the demand isn't high enough for girls rugby/boys dancing though.

No, they should not be doing those highly physical sports together. 6ft 12 stone 15 year old boy and 5'2 8st stone 15 year old girl playing rugby together? That's a recipe for disaster.

[mileend2bermondsey]

Booyaka
Im not saying that the classes should be mixed. Im saying that all sexes should have an semester doing netball, then one doing football, ect, ect. Rather than; males do X, females do Y.

[Yankeetarts19]

This happens at my dcs school

[Bunbaker]

At DD's school the girls do football, but not rugby. She says the boys don't do netball.

[Yankeetarts19]

My dd loves cricket but girls don't do it in pe lessons

[mileend2bermondsey]

shouldnthavesaid
Yes the teaching staff are seperated by sex too. So a female teacher will never teach football as the girls dont do it. The male staff will never teach hockey as the boys dont do it.

[Passmethecrisps]

Aargh! Page reload and lost my post.

It was saying that I reckoned my school does a similar slept but the choice is over to the kids. It becomes very hard if the skills don't allow pupil teacher ratios to work though. At the end of the day there is more to planning classes than pupil choice.

PE teachers cannot win. Mixed group PE - total nightmare with parents clamouring for what they feel is an entirely sensible demand for single sex classes.

[pinotblush]

I think you will find that it's what they want to do too.

Not sure many boys want to wear a tutu and not sure many girls want to scrum.

[Alisvolatpropiis]

Apologies for my first post op. I have become that person

[mileend2bermondsey]

yankee
Thats another seperation in this HS too. Girls dont do cricket, has to be rounders

[Yankeetarts19]

Yes that's what she has to do

[mileend2bermondsey]

No one is asking for mixed classes! Just for every child to get taught every sport the school has available as the norm, regardless of sex.

[JeepersMcoy]

Surely if the only objection is that girls are smaller then boys then they should just split the group based on size and weight. There is no reason for the girls not to play rugby as well, they can just not play with the bigger lads.

I went to a girls school so always assumed that was why we had to play crappy netball. I thought that at mixed schools you all did the same.