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Original poster

To not want my DD doing PE in torrential rain!

185 replies

TheoriginalLEM · 19/09/2015 16:13

DD is in year 6 and yesterday they did PE in the rain. Now i have no problem with her doing PE in the rain but this was ridiculous. She had a waterproof coat on (not a pe coat, big heavy coat) which was soaked through and i could wring her PE kit out that she had to bring home to be washed because it was so wet!

Now she is on the sofa with a stinking cold - now i know she didn't get the cold because of the rain but she started sniffling last night so i am pretty sure it hasn't helped.

Her teacher (who thankfully she only has for PE) made a big thing of telling them they would do PE in all weathers but this was ridiculous.

I got caught out in it yesterday too, but i was able to come home and have a warm shower straight away and dry off, not sit in my fucking wet vest and pants.

No point in complaining teacher is an arrogant twat so ranting on here instead.

OP posts:
usual · 19/09/2015 16:46

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

5madthings · 19/09/2015 16:49

Exactly primary school pe kit of shorts, t shirt and a hoody if cold and maybe tracksuit bottoms is not all weather kit.

All these posters saying it's fine would you be happy to sit in soaking wet underwear for the rest of the afternoon, really?

Original poster
TheoriginalLEM · 19/09/2015 16:51

5madthings - i am in the southeast. It was properly pissing down and it didn't come out of the blue either. I was told it was already pissing down when they started with children in their coats - why? just why???

OP posts:
museumum · 19/09/2015 16:53

Actually I wouldn't want my primary school kid soaked to their underwear.
I run in pouring rain all the time but I have a shower and a towel and dry pants with me.
If they're going to get that wet they need towels and dry underwear in their PE kit.

TowerRavenSeven · 19/09/2015 16:53

This is very sexist so I don't need to be reminded but if it were my dd (which I don't have...so I should say if I were the dd) I'd say, "Couldn't they just stay inside?". But for my ds, which I do have, I'd just say, "Deal with it...it will build character".

If it were lightening it would be another thing. That's dangerous. And I also agree on being wet cold and shivery won't cause a cold but if you have one queuing up that could go either way, it won't help matters.

TheExMotherInLaw · 19/09/2015 16:54

YANBU
If people CHOOSE to go for a run in the rain, they can have a warm shower and dry clothes when they come in. Forcing kids to do PE when it's wet, then make them sit in wet clothes for the rest of the day is stupid and cruel. It will also likely put them off PE for ever. I'd be going in for a 'quiet word' with the head.

Youarentkiddingme · 19/09/2015 16:56

Toughening kids up is not teaching them getting soaking wet and sitting in wet underwear all day and having to put on an already sparked coat to walk home in.

Toughening children up is teaching them to be independent learners with a thirst for learning, teaching resilience etc.
therefore teaching children that dressing correctly is no reason not to inarticulate in life and life doesn't end because it's raining.

Not once has wearing wet underwear helped me in my a levels, degree or career Confused

Impostersyndrome · 19/09/2015 16:58

YANBU OP at all. As others have said, it's all very well toughing it out, but if there aren't facilities to get dry immediately afterwards, at the very least she would have had a very uncomfortable time till she got dry.

I hated PE as a child for this reason. In fact it took me years till I got the courage to hunt around for a form of exercise that didn't seem like ritual humiliation. I know that Judy Murray got a ton of criticism for suggesting Pilates and the like to make PE more attractive to teenagers, but this is exactly the point: do we want our children to be set up for life with a good exercise habit or put off it for life because of incidents like this.

madein1995 · 19/09/2015 17:00

Why should the kids have to sit in wet clothes for hours? I can bet the teacher wrapped up warm, had a chance to dry off and a mug of hot tea to drink afterwards. Kids? Give them 10 minutes to get changed - no chance to warm up and fat chance of a hot drink. Angry

I do believe that children should be outdoors in rain, snow etc unless its icy so dangerous. However, I also believe children should wear appropriate clothes and have appropriate time to dry off and warm up afterwards.

YouTheCat · 19/09/2015 17:02

The PE teacher sounds like the sort that put me off all forms of exercise for 30 years - playing hockey in a little skirt in -5, turning purple with the cold, while the PE teacher is all wrapped up in a huge coat and trousers, is not fun.

Rain can be fun. I like a good soaking but only if I know I can get warm and changed. At school, it is not practical to have 30 freezing, drenched children. And how are children expected to do PE in a coat? That's not conducive to moving around really. Plus the coat gets soaked so what is the child supposed to wear on the way home?

I don't think you're being precious, given that the rain was torrential.

Greenkit · 19/09/2015 17:03

The difference with people running, football practice, or sports is that those people can go home have a shower and change into clean dry clothes. Maybe have a hot drink and warm up a bit.

Where as the OP daughter would have to sit with wet hair, possibly clothes or at least socks during the next few lessons, or all day if PE was first.

Not really acceptable.

5madthings · 19/09/2015 17:03

Yep I thought so. And it didn't come on with no warning, I was sat at home and you could see the sky getting darker and darker, it really was a downpour.
My dd has on a trespass waterproof coat, muddy puddles waterproof dungarees and wellies and was still got wet as we cycled she couldn't have her hood up (helmet) and doesn't like the zip up to her chin. I had to hang up our coats and waterproof trousers over the bath as they were sodden.

If my kids had done pe in that I would be pissed and I am very much a wrap up, wear weather appropriate clothes person, as I said I cycled the school run in it but with decent wet weather clothing not school pe kit!

derxa · 19/09/2015 17:05

I think it sounds ridiculous that they were wearing coats to do PE. If it was that wet then they should have been indoors. If a class has PE then usually the hall is booked for them in this eventuality. However when I did football after school, the boys' most favourite sessions were those where they got caked in mud from head to toe. Happy days!

5madthings · 19/09/2015 17:06

Here is dd yesterday, the rain had almost stopped at this point, despite full wet weather gear she was still wet underneath, hair was soaked and she was cold. We were out about 20-30mins and I had to strip her down, warm her up etc and get her a drink and she sat with a blanket to warm up.

To not want my DD doing PE in torrential rain!
Gileswithachainsaw · 19/09/2015 17:07

if they did pe in their coats what were they supposed to wear home?

pe in the rain wouldn't bother me but the child having to sit in wet clothes/underwear shivering in class and having no coat to go home in whilst teacher change he'd and had a coffee and maybe even shower in the staffroom, now that would piss me off.

THAT'S WHAT THE HALL IS FOR

Idefix · 19/09/2015 17:14

Yanbu op sounds hideous.

tiggytape · 19/09/2015 17:16

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
TheoriginalLEM · 19/09/2015 17:18

partial my dd is far from a delicate snowflake and thought it was funny. i however didn't.

OP posts:
Original poster
TheoriginalLEM · 19/09/2015 17:18

does it make a difference that she is a girl?

OP posts:
Supermanspants · 19/09/2015 17:22

PE in the rain Utterly outrageous. How very dare they. Whatever next Hmm

ipsos · 19/09/2015 17:23

I used to always get tonsilitis when I got cold and soaked. I think You could go to the Head and complain.

treaclesoda · 19/09/2015 17:27

I can see I'm in the minority here but I'm with the OP. As an adult, I have also chosen to run in the rain, and get freezing cold doing so, but the difference is that I was able to come home and get into a warm bath.

I loathe the feeling of wet clothes, really really loathe it, and always have done. I suspect I maybe have some sort of sensory issues around it, as I didn't realise until I was an adult that not everyone would find it so horrible - I can't even bear to have the cuffs wet after washing my hands, or the hems of my trousers wet and I am 40 years old. At primary school I would have been hysterical with panic if I had been made to do PE in the rain and couldn't get properly dried and warm afterwards.

Funnily enough, my mum (a teacher herself) was very much of the opinion that when you went to school you put up with things even if you weren't happy. The one and only time she ever complained to my school was when we were once forced to do our games lesson in torrential rain, wearing t shirts and gym skirts, and we were soaked to the skin. She was furious.

exLtEveDallas · 19/09/2015 17:34

DD did PE in the pouring rain on Tues. Daft kid didn't bother to bring her kit home after and left it in her plastic PE bag until Friday - when she had School PE and Netball Oh the smell when she went to get changed (thankfully I was able to rustle her up some new shorts and tshirt but her trainers have been washed twice and still smell mouldy today)

She likes PE in the rain and school is so bloody hot that her hair was dry within an hour despite her soaking.

treaclesoda · 19/09/2015 17:39

A hot school? My school was always freezing. Maybe that is why I was so horrified when I read this by the idea of getting wet and having to sit through the rest of class.

I have fond memories of us all doing our transfer test in P7 with hat, scarf and gloves on and a superser heater at the front of the classroom. Unfortunately the superser heater only heats the air for about three inches in front of the flame and no further Grin

FyreFly · 19/09/2015 17:40

I'm with OP and the minority. This thread reminds me of why I hated sports at school :(

And I'm not an indoorsy person. At school I was part of the cadets for 4 years - we'd camp in sub-zero temperatures in a bivvy, not a tent. No toilets or portaloos either! I studied two outdoor-field-trip-intensive degrees (geology and archaeology!), I'm out in all weathers with the dogs, and regularly go on long walking holidays in the UK - I don't need to tell you how variable the weather can be!

There's a difference between throwing improperly dressed kids, who have no choice, out in the pouring rain (agree that drizzle or a shower is OK - constant heavy rain is NOT) with no proper facilities to dry off afterwards, and being able to make that decision for yourself as an adult. I'm a big advocate of getting kids out and running around, but the PE culture we have in this country is disgusting sometimes.

I didn't need "toughening up" or character building. I got plenty of that from activities I elected to do. I needed appropriate clothing and a sensible PE grunt.

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