Did anyone else who went to primary school in the mid-80s have to do PE in their vest and pants?

[TheLightSideOfTheMoon]

I was telling my colleagues who are in their twenties about it and they looked at me like this: 🙄

Did anyone else experience this? Or was my school slightly strange?

Like wonder woman 🦸‍♀️

No. I was at primary school in the 70s, but in Ireland not the UK. We never did this. I’m like your colleagues in their twenties OP 😅
I think it sounds utterly mad and am a bit shocked tbh.

Yes it was completely normal in late 80s state primary schools (not just in the North) in the infants when doing PE inside.
Kids wore vests and pants under their uniform so it was quick to change for PE, didn’t cost extra. Children didn’t have to dress themselves in something else and didn’t lose their kit. Fabric was also less cheap and shit in those days so cotton wasn’t totally see through.

This was normal in the 90s too. It's really bizarre thinking back to it! And the panic if you forgot to wear a vest and had to go without...

Almost every other child at my DCs primary school (NW England) wore a vest but I never saw the need except when all the windows were open in COVID!
My DC2 left primary last year. I think it's unusual not to, to be fair.

Yes, in the 80s, until the end of year 4. And boys and girls got changed for PE lessons in the same classroom until the end of year 6.

I was at primary from (i think) 1978-1985 and we had PE kit but doing PE in vest and pants was definitely still a thing at some other local schools. I also remember an episode of Grange Hill in the 80s where a new girl, Fatima, had no PE kit and had to just wear her vest and pants and I felt mortified for her.

At our secondary school our sports kit was a polo shirt and tiny pleated skirt in bottle green with bottle green giant knickers underneath. Absolutely ghastly as very exposing and also hideous at the same time. Lots of us persuaded our mums to buy us dark green short cycling shorts to wear instead of the knickers. School tried to resist but gave up. It was a bit ridiculous as school was so strict about school skirts having to be a "decent" length below the knee, yet the PE skirts and knickers covered no leg at all. Our school was some distance from the playing fields (shared with 2 other schools) and we had to walk across town in the tiny kit being tooted at by white van men. Ugh!

Yes, in primary school. In high school we had big thick gym knickers and a pleated skirt. They were the same purple as the new function on here at the bottom of the screen that tells you what number post you are reading.

Yup.

Sorry edited to add school regulation navy knickers, not just my knickers.

Started my first teaching job in 1984. Definitely vest and pants for the children during PE

I started secondary school in 1994 and didn’t take my P.E kit on the first day as we didn’t know our timetable. Lo and behold it was one of our lessons for that day. I was on my period, wearing a sanitary towel and was made to run around the gymnasium in just knickers and school shirt, along with all the others in my class who didn’t have any kit with them. I was 5’8 at 11, still am now, but I towered above most of the class. I was mortified. I have never felt more self conscious since and will never forget that feeling.

Yes, early 80s state primary. We had to have black shorts, white T-shirts, and black plimsoles, from reception through to year 6. In the youngest two years, if you forgot your kit you had to do PE barefoot in your vest and pants. In the older years, you had to go and knock on the classroom door of another class and ask if anyone had a pe kit that you could borrow. Both options were hideously embarrassing and I only ever forgot my kit once!
Secondary had horrible pale blue airtex polo shirts, and nasty navy shorts with built in knickers (white, absolute nightmare when you’re on your period), netball skirts, and rugby shirts. The rugby shirts did nothing to keep you warm. There were rumours that if it got cold enough you’d be allowed to wear tracksuit bottoms outside, but in the whole 5 years I was there, through snow and ice, it never happened. Meanwhile, the PE teachers are there in their tracksuits, thick coats, hats and gloves.

Yes in infants everyone wore vest and pants with barefeet for PE. In juniors we had a polo shirt, pe knickers and pumps. Then secondary proper kit.

Yes, the shame of forgetting your pe kit was to run around in your underwear! I’m very glad it doesn’t happen now 😂
It was a real source of worry for me as a child, I never had to do it as the fear made me remember. However I do remember it was always the same kids and everyone knew even then that some of them never had clean underwear and it was on display for everyone to see and be cruel about if they were so inclined.
No school uniform either so the same applied if you only had old or not very clean clothes. It’s a shame looking back and has definitely shaped my parenting too

Yes, vest and pants, and bare feet in reception and yr1, then plimsolls and PE knickers and airtex top through to year 5 and 6 when we had a netball skirt.
Edited to add - this was early 80s, state primary school.

We had to do this at secondary school! Run around the block in a t-shirt and big green pants ... a few old fellas used to be out 'gardening' as we ran by. Late 70s/early 80s.

No! I started primary school in early 80s. We did PE in our school uniform.

Not this again 🙄.

Honestly, this topic should be banned and all of you who are scrambling to recount your stories should think hard about the motives for this thread appearing so often 🤮.

Yes in the 1970s. Pants and vest. Boys allowed to wear shorts. It must have changed at some point higher up in primary but don't remember.
Secondary was airtex top and knickers ( blue and bulletproof). With a pe skirt for outdoors ( hockey and netball). Followed by a naked parade through the showers.
I am 57 and still give thanks every Monday that I'll never have double games or PE again.

I was at secondary school in the late 90s, there was one communal shower ‘run’ (two walls of shower heads with an entrance and exit. We had to all line up in towels. One P.E teacher stood at the entrance ready to take the towel and another at the exit waiting to hand the towel back. We would take turns to run the gauntlet. If anything was slightly miss timed we would be horrified to catch site of our fully nude classmates. There was lots of talk about whether the teachers were purposely getting a look.

I can remember feeling jealous of the younger kids as they introduced individual cubicles just as we were leaving. All girls school. It felt very antiquated at the time and we al hated it!

My brothers rugby team (sort of 8 - 11 type age groups) during the same time period had to shower with the coaches fully naked. That was considered ‘what sportsmen did.’ The kids just found it embarrassing.

We thought we were living in the modern age but so much went on that would not fly today.

Yup, and I still remember the day a boy took his pants down by mistake. Poor lad never lived it down.

Pants and vests in infants, and in juniors it was a T-shirt and shorts BUT we had to get changed in the classroom. I needed a bra in the last year and it was excruciating still having to get changed at our mixed tables in the classroom.

And communal showers in seniors - PE teacher took our towels as we went in to the row of showers and gave them back as we exited, unless she was having a (frequent) spiteful day… And the girls’ “shorts” were just like massive pants - you could see everything.

Can you imagine if any of it still happened today?!?

Yes. Thick woollen brown knickers in infant/ junior. Thick navy knickers for gymnastics in secondary, covered by a tiny gym skirt for all other secondary sports. I felt so, so exposed, as well as cold. The secondary boys found the outfit hilarious.

Started Infants in 1986, did GCSEs in 1998.

Yes in the 80s. If it was indoor pe and you forgot your kit.

We had a PE kit (anot uniform, any colour you like), but if you forgot it then you had to do it in vest and pants. Problem for me is that my family never used vests, we just wore a T shirt or top without anything underneath.
We got changed in the classroom. Started reception in 1984, London state primary.

Yes I remember that OP.