Wearing PE kit to school

[DappledThings]

Our primary school (DC are 8 and 9 in years 3 and 5) have decided that from next term they will be doing what I know a lot of other schools do and spending all day in PE kit on PE days.

I hate this for multiple reasons so if you already do this and you don't hate it please can you explain why as I can't see past the extra hassle it is for me and I'm fairly pissed off with it.

1 - I have had to order extra kit. If they are wearing it all day they will get food down it and it will need to be washed every day so I now need duplicate kit for when one set is in the wash. Previously it just came home on Fridays so easy to wash at the weekend

2 - I have to remember every day who is wearing what and tell DC. Minor but just another thing to remember in the morning rush I could do without

3 - Both have a sports based after school club once a week on non-PE days. This used to not matter because they just changed into the kit that was already on their pegs. Now it's a day they have to go in uniform and remember their kit that I've had to give an additional wash to. So three different routines in one week.

4 - they will just look scruffy 2 days a week in a mishmash of blue and black joggers and hoodies and whatever else vaguely PE related people.chose to send their children in wearing.

It just seems like a massive hassle the school are putting on us to save themselves a few minutes of chivvying the class into changing quicker.

I like it. I would wash PE kit more than once a week anyway, especially in winter if they’re doing PE outside as it can get mucky so this way it comes home and I can wash it. I don’t think it looks scruffy, they’re all in navy leggings or joggers and PE tshirt and jumper, not scruffier than the usual uniform really.
My dd is in year 1 and rarely gets good down her jumper. Sometimes mud if outside but not food. I like that she doesn’t have to change in school in front of her class, and also clothes don’t get lost as they just wear them all day instead of taking them off.

We’ve been doing it since Covid. It’s fine. You’re over thinking it. We buy less usual uniform and an extra PE top. I put their PE days into my phone calendar as a recurring event for the year but to be honest after the first week or two they knew better than I when they were doing PE.

It worked for me. 🤷🏻‍♀️

1. It’s much easier to wash and dry and doesn’t need ironing unlike a shirt and trousers.
2. DS didn’t spill food or get especially messy.
3. Joggers and sweatshirts are much warmer to wear in winter.
4. mine wore comfy trainers to school every day because they’re allowed to.
5. Kids at our school could wear their PE kit to school on days they’re not doing PE which makes life easier for some parents.
6. DS has dyspraxia which makes getting changed 10 times longer for him so that’s a bonus too.

I like it and we have 2 PE days a week which change every term (sometimes every half term). Yes it means more PE kit, esp as ours is a white t-shirt. But it means less uniform. You wash the PE kit after every use surely anyway as it gets dirty and sweaty so it shouldn't mean more washing.
2 PE kits that are washed after the second PE day ready for the next week. 3 Uniform sets (although I have 5 sets) that are washed ready for ironing day on Sundays.

My DS8 Year 3 is capable of telling me what day it is and what kit/uniform he needs to wear. I rarely have to remind him although I do still have to get it out for him to actually get dressed 90% of the time.

I prefer it than taking it in.....as we would never have anything come home if DS had to remember to change we would be replacing more PE kit over the year. We struggle enough to remember jumpers and water bottles every day.

The school explained at the start its not just 5 mins of getting changed. It takes a whole class alot longer to be ready than that. They also don't have set changing rooms so they have to make a changing room in the hall with the use of dividers. They then have to put that away before starting the PE class if it is a wet day. And put it all back again at the end of class.

It is so much better to just go in PE kit for the whole day in my experience.

We have this too, they just call it "active uniform". In reality, they wear the same poli shirt and sweatshirt as normal but instead of grey or black trousers or skirts they wear grey or black joggers. Hardly looks different. The kids do pretty well at remembering their days they wear comfy stuff!

I like it. Much more comfortable than the usual shirt and tie. No one looks smart at primary anyway. We just have two PE tops sourced through second hand uniform and they wear shorts or joggers with it depending on time of year. Washing is the same as every shirt PE or otherwise has to be washed each time it is worn.

the first week maybe for forgetting which day but you soon get into a rhythm if it is the same each week. Plus someone on the WhatsApp group will ask and a billion smug replies will remind you. Wait until secondary when they are on a two week timetable and the days change for each! Just put it all in your phone diary and check in the morning.

I’ll add extra reasons to dislike it.

Mine have been doing this since Covid & I’ve had three boys go through high school in this time.

Teenage boys smell. Getting changed after PE is a good idea for hygiene & teachers ‘ sakes.

The school PE kit is branded t-shirt & shorts or joggers. The joggers are flimsy material & expensive. They need joggers not shorts if wearing all day, but as they are now being worn 700% more time they get destroyed pretty quickly. For a while it was two days a week.

So instead of 3 £10 pairs of shorts, which could be handed down when outgrown, it was almost £90 worth of joggers at a time, which didn’t last the year.

Teenage boys smell. Getting changed after PE is a good idea for hygiene & teachers ‘ sakes.
I can't imagine doing it in secondary too. At least at primary they don't really sweat much still. If teenagers are doing proper PE in their kit in the morning and spending the rest of the day in sweaty kit because they aren't allowed to get changed again surely nobody wants that?

I'm sure I will get used to it. I do resent the extra kit I've already had to pay out for now. I'm tempted to send them in at least in their proper school jumpers every day with a hoodie in bags so they can either just take the jumper off or change it so they at least look a bit smarter each day.

i like it. It’s best if it’s from the start so you buy fewer shirts and smart trousers in the first place. And our PE kit wasn’t branded so supermarket 2/3packs of joggers were ideal.
At a guess I’d say it takes at least 15mins to get the class into PE kit and the same at least back into uniform. So a wasted half hour every time.
the best point is far less lost items.

The only reason it causes issue for some people I know where they have shared living and handovers at school. When they wear PE kit to school you can’t just wash the uniform they came in and wear it back on handover day. This results in PE kits, u forms etc being carted to school on handover days so the kids have them ready for the next time they need it.

My ds school did this until this year and I wish they would go back to PE kit wearing on PE days.

1.Yes extra kit needed but you just buy less of the regular uniform as you don't need as much.

2.It just becomes routine, write on a calendar or planner. Your DC are old enough to keep track of days of the week too.

3.As above, it becomes routine.

4.comfort is important too. Our pe kit is black joggers, black hoodie, white t-shirt. It's not scruffy.

Also not you'll lose far less kit and uniform without the the changing.

They'll have less to carry, some days ds is loaded like a pack horse with all the sports kit he needs to take on top of everything else

1. teach your children not to make a mess of their clothes. Children this age don't sweat in the way adults do so should be able to get a second day of wear out of clothes!!

2. teach your children to take responsibility themselves for what they should be wearing. At the start of the year when school state what days their PE days are, make a sign for their wardrobe that says Mon - uniform, Tues - PE kit, Weds - uniform etc. If at age 8 and 9 they can't read this on the wardrobe door and follow it you have bigger issues on your hands to be honest.

3. it's part and parcel of doing some extra curricular stuff that sometimes you have to remember kit, or an instrument for music lesson or whatever. Encourage your kids to take responsibility for remembering this themselves they aren't toddlers

4. does it matter that they look less smart 2 days a week, they are just children, it's not like they aren't dressing smartly the other days.

You're making too much fuss about this. So much time is saved in the school day from kids not having to spend time getting changed. Previously they often only spent about 20 min doing pe, at least now they will get more exercise!

If at age 8 and 9 they can't read this on the wardrobe door and follow it you have bigger issues on your hands to be honest.
I mean that's just another thing; having to find wardrobe space for it. At the moment it comes home on a Friday, gets washed, goes straight back in the bags and back out of the door on Monday. Finding a place for it is just another minor gripe in this annoyance

Trust me, it’s not a few minutes of chivvying children along! You’ve clearly never worked in a school!
Ive worked in an infant school and PE changing is PAINFUL 😂 You’d be surprised how many children have absolutely no idea how to take their own clothes off and put them on the back of their chair and even less can put their own socks/tights/shoes on.
We’d spend half the lesson getting them into their PE kits and then back into their school uniform. Then there’s lost shoes, socks, kit bag etc etc etc.
We changed to the children coming into school in their kits after Covid and it works much better.
Put a reminder on your phone.
Put a note or calendar up.
You’re being unreasonable!

It gets rid of the issue of boys and girls needing separate changing areas, and supervision of changing.

I actually think Primary schools should just ditch the formal stuff and just have a uniform of shorts/leggings/joggers with tshirt/sweater in the school colour.

I’m confused why do they need extra kit? Mine had PE day once a week so it just got washed with everything else. It’s so much easier than manky PE kit that had to stay at school all term.

My DC's school switched to this system from the start of the academic year, so I have experience of both approaches.

It made absolutely no practical difference to us.

DD2 is five years old and in Y1, still regularly forgets to flush the toilet or ask to leave the table, but even she remembers which is PE day.

Because I won't always be able to get it washed and dried overnight for the days PE is on consecutive ones plus a third day they need it for after school clubs.

They never get sweaty at the moment so washing once a week when it comes home at weekends is fine. Now they will be wearing it all day for two days which means it will get far dirtier with food and pen and playtime and almost certainly need to be washed after every day.

My DCs school swapped the other way at the start of this year. They used to go in PE kit on PE days, now we send PE kit and they change there. I much prefer the way it was before.

I used to buy less normal uniform as they wore PE kit 2 days a week, now i have to buy 5 days of uniform plus the PE kit.

DC constantly forget to bring their kit home, lose it in after school club or bring it home on random non-PE days for no apparent reason. So each week I have to work out when/if it ever came home to work out if it got washed and if it needs to go back in.

Kids also lose uniform or come home in each others' jumpers etc LOADS more since they started changing at school. And I'm sure the teachers hate it.

It is in my opinion is the least worst option.

I'm a primary teacher and I have to say the switch to children going to school in PE kit is a great idea. It saves a lot of time, especially in the earlier years (I'm still surprised by just how long it takes Y1 and Y2 kids to get changed). With children in KS2, the practical difficulties of separating the boys and girls to get changed have been eliminated at a stroke. It's Covid's only positive legacy.

I’d be happy they at least get to spend all day in trainers. I hate that primary kids have to wear proper shoes and spend their playtimes running around.

I like it. I'd actually prefer they were in PE kit every day, it's much more comfy especially for KS1. Primary children don't need to look smart, they just need practical, comfy clothes.

It means they get longer doing PE, and PE kit can be bought really cheaply from supermarkets. You can still wash it over the weekend, no big deal, and you can cheaply buy a spare for their peg if they need it. It is annoying to have the initial outlay, but I do think it benefits everyone.

Ours never did it even in covid so I have no experience yet of this faff at all