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Original poster

DS never gets to take part in PE :( advice?

59 replies

emistingtress · 10/07/2016 19:16

DS hasn't particularly gotten on with many people this year. He is never picked when they play a group sport, so he sits at the side and takes scores. Teacher has said that he should try and make friends with his class. It hasn't happened yet... He still sits at the side and takes scores unless it's the warm up of something that isn't a group sport but it nearly always is

OP posts:
HumpMeBogart · 10/07/2016 19:25

Speak to the teacher again. She should be organising the class so that everyone gets a turn. Part of their job is surely to ensure that all of the kids are exercising and being physically active - so if things don't change, go to the head and reiterate your concerns.

WhereIsMyPlaydough · 10/07/2016 19:25

How old is your ds?

Original poster
emistingtress · 10/07/2016 19:25

Thank you.

He is 9

OP posts:
SouthWestmom · 10/07/2016 19:27

Speak to the teacher. What a bloody farce - picking for sports and leaving someone out as they aren't popular? I thought that had gone out with the Ark.
I'm outraged for your son.

Scarydinosaurs · 10/07/2016 19:28

Is it his normal class teacher or a specialist taking him for PE? It's a really odd way to organise a PE lesson.

Sorebigtoes · 10/07/2016 19:29

Bonkers teaching - he shouldn't be ledt out. With just 1 week left I wouldn't bother making a fuss, as long as he has a different teacher in Sept.

CocktailQueen · 10/07/2016 19:29

Are you in the UK?
How crap. It's up to the teacher to ensure all DC are taking part in PE. Are you sure it's happening as your Ds says? Sounds v odd.

Cel982 · 10/07/2016 19:29

What??? What kind of teacher is letting the kids in the class dictate who gets to play and who doesn't?! I'd be having serious words with him/her.

Biscuitsneeded · 10/07/2016 19:30

This has to be a private school...

Rach168 · 10/07/2016 19:30

It sounds like you've already spoken to the teacher so I think you need to take it up with someone more senior. His teacher is employed to teach all the pupils PE and it really isn't acceptable for any pupils to have sit on the sides because they aren't popular enough to take part in the class. In addition, teachers should be enouraging all pupils to get on and to not exclude others, rather than actively colluding in it during lesson time!

redskytonight · 10/07/2016 19:31

I'd expect the teacher to be "making" everyone take part,whether they want to or not, whether they get on with the rest of the group or not. Have you spoken to the teacher?

VimFuego101 · 10/07/2016 19:32

Teachers should be making sure teams are fairly allocated and that kids aren't left out (i.e. Not letting kids choose teams and pick their friends/ best players).

Original poster
emistingtress · 10/07/2016 19:33

Sorry yes this is a very small prep school. Its his PE teacher, they have a different teacher for sports.

OP posts:
NanFlanders · 10/07/2016 19:33

I hated this at school. Just request that kids are selected for sports teams via going round the group, going "A, B, A, B". I'm train groups and always split them into subgroups like this.

needanewjob · 10/07/2016 19:37

What!?! I work in a school and there is absolutely no way this should be allowed to happen. Aside from anything else PE is part of the curriculum and as such every child is expected to take part unless they are injured or can't take their earrings out (don't get me started on that one)

Beeziekn33ze · 10/07/2016 19:41

Complain, you're not getting what you're paying for. Private school heads are well aware that dissatisfied parents vote with their feet.
Hope things improve for DS. Maybe a holiday multi sport course would help, it did for mine when he was 11.

WhereIsMyPlaydough · 10/07/2016 19:42

9? Not acceptable, i would definitely be talking to pe teacher. It's ridiculous if participating is subject to being buddy enough with his peers... It almost reeks of bullying- he is being excluded and teacher is doing nothing to rectify it. Shit reacher i'd say!
It sounds like your DS us new to this school- is that so? Is he bothered by the pe situation and is he generally happy at school?

WhereIsMyPlaydough · 10/07/2016 19:45

Btw, i initially thought your son was reception age and perhaps didnt really want to participate, didnt quite get with the program hence is being kept busy with taking scores (e.g. teacher is giving him time to adjust). But at 9 is not acceptable.

shouldwestayorshouldwego · 10/07/2016 19:48

I would suggest to the PE teacher that they think about who the last two picked each time are and ask them to pick the team. Or go through register so one week Alfie and Beatrice pick then Clarence and Daphne next week etc. He will never get better if he doesn't play. Some sport over the summer might help.

Wolpertinger · 10/07/2016 19:54

PE teacher should have changed the way the class is organised to stop this letting popular kids pick - I'd hoped something might have changed in the 30 years since I was at school Angry

This is partly why I am now a fat sport hating heffalump with no positive memories of PE.

Would a Maths teacher get out of teaching Maths because 'your son hasn't made any friends' - no, they wouldn't. So why should PE be any different.

Only if everyone keeps complaining will this poisonous practice be eliminated.

RhiWrites · 10/07/2016 19:56

Jebus. That's awful. PE teachers clearly haven't come on much since the 1980s. It's the teacher's job to create evenly divided mixed ability teams. Take it to the head.

Schwabischeweihnachtskanne · 10/07/2016 19:57

The being picked last thing is an age old PE humiliation - but how does never being picked at all even work?

Are there an uneven number of children in the class and the teacher insists on teams being even numbers, meaning somebody has to sit out every single lesson (unless another child is ill)? That is never how it works, otherwise the NON-sporty would actively embrace being picked last!

LockedOutOfMN · 10/07/2016 20:01

I would speak to the teacher, to avoid any embarrassment if there has been any misunderstanding or miscommunication. If it turns out that the teacher does just let the children pick teams and therefore leave those who aren't picked to sit on the bench week in week out, explain that he or she needs to include your son, and, if you receive no assurance that this will be the case, speak to the head of P.E. (or this teacher's line manager). I find it surprising - but not unbelievable - that a teacher would exclude the same pupils from participating each week as he or she needs to demonstrate that every child is making progress.

Witchend · 10/07/2016 20:02

Are you sure he's not hating sports and the teacher thinks she's doing him a favour by not forcing him to join in. I'd have loved to be scorer!

RoosterCogburn · 10/07/2016 20:02

Shocking teaching technique - the teacher should be carefully managing the lesson so the less sport pupils feel comfortable doing sport and no one is excluded

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