To be irritated about school swimming attire rules 'for girls'?

I think they probably have the one-piece rule so that they can enforce it in the case of someone wearing a tiny bikini. I doubt they’d worry about a full coverage tankini.

Sometimes universal rules are there only in case they are needed. A blind eye will be turned often.

It's absolutely to stop a parent saying a bikini is fine because your DD got away with wearing a tankini. DD had one to this but there are knee length ones too. At secondary they wore PE shorts over the swimsuit if they wanted.

NABAIJI Girls’ swimming 1-piece shorty swimsuit - blue
£9.99
www.decathlon.co.uk/p/_/R-p-348081?mc=8852070

There are plenty of full coverage one piece suits. Why didn’t you get one of those. It seems like you are making a needless fuss IMO

The thing is with tankinis (or bikinis) is that they don't always fit or stay in the right places. I have seen on holiday young girls that are uncomfortable where the top is riding up, or coming down low as the cut is made for a different body (more developed/less developed it really depends on the cut/outfit).
In a swimming lesson they will be swimming constantly, so it would be disruptive if they have to keep stopping to adjust their costume and this could also make them feel more awkward if any mishaps happen. I imagine the teacher is also fearful of this happening too hence the rule.

The school policy should describe a range of things as acceptable and also what isn't and should not be male/female specific. It's not hard and just requires ten minutes of thought.

I'd have just sent her in the tankini and not said anything. It's considerably more appropriate to the task than a vile one piece.

You obviously haven't seen them training,

It's swimsuits that tie up, no back, high leg or swimming trunks for boys. (At my sons club at least) 😂

It's the race suits which are full on coverage and that's because they are compression suits designed to worn for the race and removed. They also would not be what you buy for school swimming lessons as they are ££££££ssssss 😵‍💫

They don't have to. Nobody I know wears a "high cut leotard". There is a huge range of swimwear available, from tiny bikinis through to full body coverage.
Making things up to prove your point is not helpful.

So buy a swimsuit with the short legs in then.

They do ones with long or short bottoms.

She can always wear a tight rash vest over the top if she chooses.

I'd take the one-piece and tankini shorts.

Schools have to have the simplest rule to manage a minimum expected standard. It's too convoluted to have a paragraph detailing fit and coverage. "One-piece" covers 97% of decency issues in two words. No fussing around to distinguish the acceptable boundaries of lengths, or stringy triangles.

You’re quite right to be irritated. School uniform rules can be so petty.

I remember when a lot of schools didn’t allow girls to wear trousers to school and insisted on tiny PE skirts rather than shorts or track bottoms.

They do eventually change with the times and become less sexist.

Nonsense. The girls equivalent is the boyleg one piece that they are allowed to wear and is easily available.

It's not a double standard to have different requirements for boys and girls

Whereas I think swimsuits are universally awful and separate tops and bottoms make much more sense. Why do women and girls have to swim in high cut leotards which give you a horrible wedgie?

I don't know why there is hardly any swimming gear around in the UK that is based on shorts and a vest top - more like what you would wear in the gym.

Why are bikinis not suitable for children?

There is a double standard in life with men routinely going topless and women not. That double standard continues in the swimming pool with men and boys going topless.
There is no easy answer although I do sympathise, especially when it comes to using the toilet with a one piece swimsuit on.

Your tankini may be fine. But someone else may then decide to have a tankini which is not fine. The staff don’t have time to create detailed lists of rules about length, type etc - a simple rule is easier.

The rule is a one piece.
She had a two piece!
Boys are wearing extra not less… you don’t make sense!

So the girls are required to wear a tight form fitting swimsuit but the boys can wear baggy swim shorts (like board shorts?) and rashies? The boys aren’t required to wear tight form fitting swim briefs like Speedos? That would be the equivalent. So yeah, fuck that. If boys can have loose baggy coverage of their body then so can the girls. Send her in something that covers her tummy and breasts and that she’s comfortable in.

Where I am a rashie (sun shirt) is compulsory to be worn for school swimming. Banning them seems ridiculous to me. Are pools indoors or outdoors there?

When she has it on is it obvious it's a tankini? So it there a gap between the top and the bottom and are they the same colour. I absolutely love my tankini and would never go back to a one piece now. The top and the bottom are totally different colours so it is really obvious but if they were the same colour noone would know

It’s really not fair on staff to expect them to be making decisions about whether each individual child’s swimwear of all things is appropriate . That’s why they have rules. Just get your daughter a one-piece with longer legs. Loads of kids have them, boys and girls, our DC has one with uv protection, which makes life much easier on the rare occasions we are somewhere sunny with a pool.

Having accompanied a class swimming, then there are definitely some parents that believe bikinis/tankinis are ok, resulting in staff having to ask children to wear their school t shirts over the top (and then find them a new t shirt when back at school, luckily this was only a couple of girls).

As someone else suggested, wear the one piece and then put the tankini shorts over it.

Our school has the same rule, but they also ask for children to be changed into their swimwear underneath their clothes for half the day. That's pretty silly and difficult for a 6 year old given they'll have to take off all their clothes just to go to the loo. So we've said nothing, sent her in her Tankini and nobody mentioned it.

There are obvious needs for 10 year old girls to wear something on their top half when boys don't.

To cover their chests, yes. To cover their belly buttons, no. The female navel is no more offensive than the male one.

If it were up to me, boys and girls would have to wear rash vests in the pool, but then I'm a prude.

Speaking as a teacher, I honestly wouldn't give a toss about this. Send her in in the tankini.

You can get loads of one piece swimsuits with tankini style bottom half. In supermarkets, sports shops, online. Just get her one of those.

She can wear the tankini shorts over her costume. They can hardly object to that.