To think most schools don't care about this?

[AndHarry]

'Shock' news report from the BBC: Most UK pupils don't take a shower after PE

Too right and two reasons why that was so at my school (not very long ago...):

1. The showers were communal. No one was going to strip off and shower naked infront of their classmates.

2. There were 3 showers in a changing room for 30 girls. There was barely enough time to get changed and get to the next lesson, let alone shower.

If this is going to be an issue then schools need to be set up to actually give teenagers time and proper facilities to be able to take a shower after PE.

Oh and I don't really think not showering is leading to the girls not doing enough pe or not putting in enough effort. They still seem to be working hard in pe and it is a pretty sporty school with some high achieving teams/individual sports.

I think schools are also more aware of the potential for allegations of inappropriate behaviour if pupils are forced to shower.

Never showered at school. All girls school but the changing room stank and the showers were mouldy with tiny doors.

Can anyone please explain why some PE teachers of the past, i hope, thought it was acceptable to stand in the changing room watching?!

There were showers in my school (a good few years ago now!) and whilst they were cubicles, they didn't have a curtain across them, so still not much privacy.

I managed to get through 7 years of school without ever using them. In fact, I don't ever remember anyone using them.

I used to wear a t shirt under my uniform on PE days. I would never, ever have stripped to my bra in front of class mates. I was wearing a GG bra at the age of 13, whilst my classmates were in their 30A training bras. PE was a hellish experience (it was, ironically, impossible to buy a sports bra in my size in those days) due to snidey comments about how disgusting it was to have boobs bouncing about, and how ashamed they would all be if it were them. If I had been told that I had to shower naked in front of classmates I would probably have taken an overdose the night before to end the shame once and for all.

The communal showers at my school years ago were a bully's paradise.

Ugh we were made to shower in communal showers. I was an early developer and it was like s form of torture for me. I would always 'extend' my period by a day or two to be excused. I remember my poor friend getting into such trouble at one stage because when she started her periods, they were lasting three weeks. All investigated by the Dr, all fine, but genuine. She ended up having to get a note from the Dr, and getting her mum in.

By the time we got to 16 and most of us were developed, it wasn't as big a deal, but I was one of the only 11 yos with hair etc and I would spend the entire week dreading the post-PE shower.

We had communal showers too. We all just used to run through, but if the teacher saw any mud on us after we had to go again! We had one girl who wouldn't go through naked, so always showered in her PE kit!

My kids went through secondary school without having a shower after PE. They did use to wash their legs off with the showers with after rugby, but there wasn't time for full showers.

We had cubicles with doors thankfully. Still an awful changing room experience for me though. As with many we'd do the bare minimum and ensure shoulders were wet to get past the pe teacher.

However I was bullied awfully in secondary school and those showers, despite some privacy, were the worst place for it. The number of times I would be grassed up to the teacher for not having a proper shower by girls (who were doing exactly the same thing) was immense, and I would be made to go back in and shower properly with teacher checking after! I took to trying to get in last and spend as long as I could in the cubicle so most of the girls were dressed/teacher wouldn't fuss so I wasn't late to my next lesson. And hope that my uniform wouldn't have been dumped in a deliberately made wet puddle.

I think allowing pupils a quick wipe with a wet wipe/flannel and diary of deodorant would be sufficient at most to get them through the school day. I'm pretty sure the boys didn't dive into the shower at the end of the lunch break when they had been playing footie on the field so why would it be different for the pe lesson.

When I was at school, showers were there (so I'm told!), but never used.

Same with my kids.

No time was ever given.

TBH, I don't remember either of the kids being smelly (apart from feet) when they got home, although that's obviously not the point.

You'd think that there would at least be some wet wipes to do a quick underarm/back of neck/face clean if nothing else!

I never showered at school, my dds wouldn't either. Bath/shower at home - job done. Non story.

Like op showering was compulsory in our comp. it was communal we would all run through not actually washing anything but making sure are shoulders were wet. All this while poo PE teacher sat watching us. Not very good memories

:( treaclesoda

I think schools are in a very difficult position WRT PE. When they teach 'proper' sports they're leaving out the less talented but then get roasted for including aerobics and cheerleading etc. They also need to cram a decent amount of physical activity into the lesson while leaving 30 minutes aside for getting changed.

Oh and just for good measure if you forgot your towel the PE teacher would make you drip dry. Lovely

We didn't. We had ten mins to get changed and get to the next class which was a good 3-4min walk across campus.
Still enjoyed PE though. And with fresh clothes on I don't think anybody was smelly for the few hours till hometime.

No showers at my children's senior school

Interestingly we had showers at my middle school - one large communal shower area (bit like a swimming pool showers at side of pool) but didn't at my senior school.

My changing rooms at Senior school were literally benches and a few lockers. That was it!!!

My DC's schools don't have showers, it doesn't seem to make a difference to how much energy my son puts in but it does to my daughter.

I left high school 9 years ago and never had showers after P.E. both at state and independent schools:

A. There wasn't enough time.
B. Not enough showers for the volume of children
C. There would have been mutiny due to the humiliation of having to get naked in front of your peers.

On a side note I doubt it could be monitored by teachers in the same way as it was in the 80s without the risk of teachers being accused of grabbing a look in a perverse manner.

We had showers with curtains, but never used them. Teacher sometimes made sure we went in and could see if the water was turned on, but we used to just stand to the side....

I didn't mind P.E but as others have said, back in the day, it was compulsory communal showers, 20 girls, all at at different stages of puberty. It was like a form of torture, I fucking hated it.

So glad to hear that it sounds like it's changed and dd won't have to go through it.

When I was at middle school (1991-95) we had to shower after PE, we were aged 9-12ish.

When I started Secondary School in 1996 we were still required to shower after PE and it was so embarrassing. I certainly remember showering in the first few years of Secondary but I have no recollection if doing in that final few years, maybe they stopped enforcing it when we hit the age of 14.

writer I left school in 92 and it was communal showers up to the fourth year (y10?). After that, we could decide whether we wanted one or not, thank fuck.

There were showers when I was at school, but they were full of or equipment and towels were not on our kit list so clearly no expectations we would use them!
the boarders sometimes snuck off and showered in private which I could see the appeal of.

I think deodorant should be on the pe kit list, but not convinced by showers being necessary.