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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

AIBU to think that they CAN do PE outside even if it is raining?!!

96 replies

5madthings · 26/04/2012 21:42

My ds1 is at high school, he is 12 and in yr 8 and over the last few months i noticed he hadnt been doing PE as much, they have a two week timetable, one week they do it once, the next week they do it twice.

It turns out that when it rains they often dont do PE at all! They have a gym and several big halls, but these are sometimes used for exams etc, i can understand if its PISSING down then maybe they wouldnt do outdoor PE but they have a good pe kit, with stuff for colder/wet weather and there are showers etc for after PE so if they get a bit cold, wet and muddy then they can clean up afterwards.

It turns out that often they are watching films instead of doing PE when it rains, recently they watched a james bond film and to make it a PE lesson they had to spot the 'gymnastic style moves' in the film!! not that they were quizzed about the film to see what they had spotted anyway.

when i was at high school we did PE outside in all weather, ie hockey in the friggin snow! now i probably wouldnt expect him to do PE outside in the snow, its probably against some health and safety rule, but surely a bit of rain is no reason not to do PE outdoors?

they have tennis courts, big fields with running track, football pitches, rounders fields etc all marked out, plus basket ball courts, rugby, etc etc, some of these sports can be done in the rain yes?

is this some new healthy and safety thing ie they 'might' slip on the wet grass?

aibu? or should they be doing PE regardless of weather conditions and not watching films?!!

OP posts:
5madthings · 27/04/2012 12:51

glad to see that most think i am not being unreasonable!

and with regards to getting in touch with the school i will do, i have spoken to them previously over other issues and tbf they have been very good at dealing with things (issues over disruption in classes) and then getting back to me so i am sure they will be the same over this.

as i said ds1 is happy at the school and doing very well, a model pupil by all accounts and the school are very happy with him, but i did wonder if i was being a bit unreasonable, did i rationally think i was, hell NO, but as some of the replies on here have shown some parents dont want their little angels getting wet Hmm

it was the james bond film that threw me the most and that will be raised along with a general query about what the policy is for wet weather.

as for not being the type of parent involved/who cares etc about their childs education that is far from the truth, i am involved and ds1 despite entering the 'teen' phase is good at keeping me informed, plus they have a homework diary we have to sign each week where we and the teachers can comment and go to the parents forums (high school equivalent of PTA) and turned up a concert 3 days after giving birth to dd, so i am involved and supportive of my childrens education, just wondered whether in the big scheme of things when we are otherwise happy with the school, was it worth mentioning.

OP posts:
Quodlibet · 27/04/2012 13:21

"I don't know any adults who would spend an hour in the rain by choice"

I do know lots of FIT adults who don't let the rain stop their plans to be outdoors and active. I also know lots of teenagers who would happily spend a weekend at a wet Glastonbury, for example.

One of the skills of teaching is getting kids to do things that they don't really want to do / think they can't do because it stretches them. Even if Elf N Safely does mean it's impossible to be outside, surely there is more educationally stretching indoor lesson content than James fucking Bond.

5Foot5 · 27/04/2012 13:37

"Even if PE lessons are normally segregated by sex, surely it is possible to have a set of fall back indoors lessons for a bucketing down day"

We used to have two PE lessons a week - one outdoors and one in the gym - alternating with the boys. If the weather was just a bit wet then we carried on regardless; but when the weather was atrocious (like it has been here this week) we all would go in to the gym together for a game called "Pirates" which was a sort of elaborate tig involving all the gym equipment.

Actually, if the weather was bad when it was the boys day to be out they would come in to our gym session for Pirates. But if the weather was bad when it was the girls day out the male PE teacher didn't want his boys gym session disrupted so we had to go in to the hall to play bean bag rounders!

GrimmaTheNome · 27/04/2012 13:39

I don't know any adults who would spend an hour in the rain by choice

Right this moment I'm slightly wishing I'd raised a wimpy kid with pathetic teachers who kept the ickle darlings in the dry... she's persuaded DH and I to do a windsurfing course this weekend on a Pennine reservoir. A bit of rain will be the least of it! Grin

5madthings · 27/04/2012 13:42

5foot5 we also did PE in mixed sex groups indoors when the weather was awful, i dont see why they cant? i shall email the school and ask for clarification of a wet weather policy and see what they say. :)

OP posts:
Lueji · 27/04/2012 13:42

Only if they have showers and the children take towels and a change of underwear with them.

OR

Do PE in raincoats and wellies. :-)

5madthings · 27/04/2012 13:44

i said in the OP that they have showers they can use and they also have waterproof jackets as part of the PE kit :)

OP posts:
Lueji · 27/04/2012 13:57

Here is a selection of better sport movies to watch en lieu of PE and in alternative to James Bond:

  • Chariots of Fire
  • Cool Runnings
  • Escape to Victory
  • Run Fatboy Run
  • Bend it Like Beckam
  • Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
  • Rocky (I-V)
  • Wimbledon
  • White Men Can't Jump
  • Space Jam
  • Caddyshack
  • Forrest Gump
  • Point Break
  • Nacho Libre
  • Jerry McGuire

Other suggestions?

:o

Lueji · 27/04/2012 14:00

Clearly they can't do tennis. Wimbledon? Wink

Missed those bits from the OP. :o

GrimmaTheNome · 27/04/2012 14:01

Gregory's girl?

dikkertjedap · 27/04/2012 15:21

I think that if you have proper PE teachers, doing PE in the rain (with appropriate clothes and shower with dry clothes afterwards) is no problem at all.

However, many schools don't have showers, many kids don't have proper PE kits (so wear part of or all of their normal school uniform) and at many schools the normal class teacher teaches PE, which is a very hit and miss event. If the teacher is not enthusiastic, how can the kids be, more likely it actually puts them off of doing sports.

valiumredhead · 27/04/2012 15:23

Our lot does PE out in all weathers - the only time it's not safe is when the pitch is frozen but usually they go on the playground then.

5madthings · 27/04/2012 15:25

this is a high school and they have a number of proper PE teachers, both male and female.

most high schools insist on proper kit, this one does and if a child turns up without it then they will get a mark in their homework diary.

at my younger childrens primary they do PE in all weathers and also have a proper PE teacher, we are told to provide clothing suitable for cold/wet conditions for PE as well as the usual shorts and t-shirts.

OP posts:
MarySA · 27/04/2012 15:38

I was one of those who thinks outdoor PE should be cancelled during any month with an R in it. For myself at any rate. If kids enjoy doing PE in the pouring rain and shivering that's fine. I wish we could have watched James Bond instead of PE when I was at school.

deliciousdevilwoman · 27/04/2012 16:24

One of the best thing about rainy days when I was at school (and I am an old gimmer in her 40's!) was being able to stay inside and watch a non educational video or some other "recreational" activity :)

I don't think kids' should be compelled to do P.E out in moderate to heavy rain-schools should make use of an indoor gym or some other activity.

EasilyBored · 27/04/2012 16:42

Seriously? All my memories of PE at school were of playing Hockey in the hail and rain, and cross country running when it was snowing. Surely when you're running around you warm up a bit anyway?! YADNBU!

(Loling at the description of you as 'hardcore' though!)

FredFredGeorge · 27/04/2012 16:53

Even when the pitch is waterlogged etc. Surely "cross country running" is always an option... And a particular joy. OP YAVMNBU to expect PE to be taught in PE not media studies or whatever watching films is covered as.

With the forecast on sunday, I was thinking of doing 5 hours out in the rain through choice, if I'd been taught rain was in some way harmful in school I might not have considered that.

amicissimma · 27/04/2012 17:13

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

SandraSue · 27/04/2012 17:37

YANBU. Too many parents these days fuss over their children too much, which is probably why they're not going out - they don't want complaints. On the other hand it could just be that the teacher is a lazy sod!

(Before people moan at me, I don't think kids should be out if it's tipping it down, that's just mean, but if it's just drizzle and light spitting who cares? They wont notice it if they're engaged in what their doing, for example in football!)

pigletmania · 27/04/2012 17:44

yabu its pissing it down at the moment, would you like to exercise in the rain Hmm. I sure would not! a little drizzle and spits and spots are different to what is out therer now

GrimmaTheNome · 27/04/2012 17:46

Read the OP...she said she'd understand them missing PE if it was pissing down.

nailak · 27/04/2012 18:09

ok, lets put kids off sports for life then.

for many pe at school was traumatising and the oppossite of esteem building and all of that.

GrimmaTheNome · 27/04/2012 18:15

Oddly though, many of us who have kids who do PE in the rain find they are quite happy with it. Probably has a lot more to do with whether they have good, enthusiastic teachers (the sort who put effort into making it work for all abilities - who are probably also the sort who will put up with spending most of the day outside themselves) than with the weather.

whomovedmychocolate · 27/04/2012 18:15

I remember playing hockey in the snow but I think the actual reason is the little darlings might slide on the wet ground and sue the school.

No reason why they can't do circuits round the school though - have corridors will jog for cake etc.

Mrsjay · 27/04/2012 18:16

If its raining they are not doing P E at all nothing , they should be doing something a lot of kids hate P E but its gotta be done , my dd does her P E in 10 week blocks usually outdoorsy stuff is in the autumn/winter , which i never understood ,