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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Standing outside when not doing P.E.

77 replies

strongswans · 09/12/2016 09:27

Fist time in AIBU! Thought I'd see your opinion before approaching the school, fully prepared to be told IABU. DS 11 is Yr 7, he has a condition which causes severe leg pains so is on crutches and has been for months. This has meant he doesn't take part in P.E. of course. I know school can't prepare an extra lesson or anything but every lesson DS has to just stand outside and watch, there is also another boy permanently not taking part. At the beginning of term I didn't see too much of an issue, but for example last week it didn't get above 1c in the day and he was stood still outside for an hour in his blazer and his legs got worse. This has also happened in the rain. I don't have an issue with P.E. being outside in this weather as they're running around warming up. I just feel DS would be better off in the library for example reading, doing homework, or catching up as his attendance is low due to his condition. There is always a staff member in the library so he wouldn't need supervision. So AIBU to ask he sits in the library instead? Thanks!

OP posts:
BastardGoDarkly · 09/12/2016 11:35

The point is there is a member of staff in the library, he could do homework, that has to be marked anyway, or read a book. In the ops circumstances, it sounds no extra work for staff for him to be in the library (and the other poor kid that's also out there :( )

Trifleorbust · 09/12/2016 11:39

BastardGoDarkly: There may be a member of staff in the library. During lesson time there is no guarantee of that and no guarantee that that member of staff doesn't have other duties which would preclude supervising the boy for 2-3 PE lessons each week

Trifleorbust · 09/12/2016 11:41

BastardGoDarkly: Plus the register would need to be completed for each session and there is no guarantee a member of staff would be available to mark the boy as present. His PE teacher wouldn't be able to do so because doing so would say he was under his/her supervision. These are legal obligations which may have a workaround but can't just be ignored.

Original poster
strongswans · 09/12/2016 11:49

For those of you who said about a coat, the day it rained wasn't a cold day and it hadn't been forecast so he had no coat, a coat also doesn't help keep his legs warm which is the issue. centre the watching others run about when he is still adjusting is very hard for him also, up until a year ago he could do the same. I know this is something he has to get used to though. Name thank you for explaining, I didn't mean to come across that it was easy to sort, I just wanted to know if it was reasonable to ask the school about it.

OP posts:
dingdongthewitchishere · 09/12/2016 11:49

I didn't blame the teachers, I blame the "schools" in general, in this case meaning management.

Teachers have exactly the same vote than I have, they are as responsible as anyone else.

Trifleorbust · 09/12/2016 11:51

dingdongthewitchishere: Not the fault of management either - resources are incredibly right on schools. They are struggling for teachers to cover lessons, TAs to work with students, rooms in which to teach students.

Trifleorbust · 09/12/2016 11:51

*tight in

itsmine · 09/12/2016 11:52

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Trifleorbust · 09/12/2016 11:55

itsmine: Might be workable, might not. At my school the relevant Y7 band (4 classes) do PE at the same time with different teachers. No harm in asking though.

itsmine · 09/12/2016 12:00

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Spottyladybird · 09/12/2016 12:09

I think it might be worth contacting the SENCO or pastoral support lead, they should support with health conditions as well as educational needs.

It might be possible to make a semi permanent plan for him to register in the SEN centre and have a project to do.

NothingIsOK · 09/12/2016 12:43

Yanbu at all. Two issues here, one being the ridiculaous standing and watching in cold conditions worsening his health trouble. The other is that it's really not ok for them to just not bother with his physical education because he has a disability.

I would ask for a meeting with the head of PE and head of year together to discuss their inculsivity policy with reference to PE. It's not acceptable to exclude him from activity. If they are not accommodating in making a proper plan for his inclusion maybe point them towards Paralympic, invictus games, and the scope charity for advice and training which they clearly need.

Trifleorbust · 09/12/2016 12:56

NothingIsOK: They are not excluding him. He is signed off PE.

Namechangebitch · 09/12/2016 13:11

OP - beware your ds may well be even more upset if he gets put in a class of kids he doesn't know well doing extra work!

Sometimes the solution can cause more problems than the status quo.

Kr1stina · 09/12/2016 13:13

The school ARE excluding him from doing PE or learning about sport because they have not provided a suitable alternative that he can access despite his disability.

Same as they can't say to a kid with dyslexia - oh you cant spell so you can sit and watch while the others do a spelling test. They need to provide support so the child with dyslexia can learn to spell.

Trifleorbust · 09/12/2016 13:19

Kr1stina: Rubbish. He has a condition which means he can't participate in the lesson and has therefore been signed off it for medical reasons. The school isn't excluding him.

Seriously, schools can't win, can they?

Namechangebitch · 09/12/2016 13:36

I knew it would end up being the teachers fault.

And that is why teachers get annoyed.

itsmine · 09/12/2016 13:41

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

greenfolder · 09/12/2016 13:43

I think that rather than get your year 7 to go and ask, you should make an appointment with his pastoral care person and explain the situation carefully with any evidence you have. More likely than not you will be taken seriously and a plan can be put in place. Only likey ro happen if you go and have a meeting. There will more likely be a quiet corner in the area that deals with internal exclusions or similar and he can sit and get some work done.

NothingIsOK · 09/12/2016 13:43

He's in year 7 with the whole of secondary education ahead. He's signed off so they don't make him do stuff that will damage him or cause him pain, not to put him in limbo for every session of physical PE for 5 years.

Why would the school not be asked to make reasonable adjustment for him? Just because one's legs aren't all that doesn't mean the rest of physical well-being and fitness can be given up on. I would say that someone's with physical limitations is if anything in greater need of education about how to keep their body in good nick and find ways to participate in physical sports and activities.

Kr1stina · 09/12/2016 13:44

Remind me where I said it was the teachers fault ? In fact please show me where I even mentioned the word " teacher " in my posts ?

MaryTheCanary · 09/12/2016 13:46

OK, this thread is confusing me. This boy is 11, not 4. Why does he have to be "supervised" in the library? It's a children's library on school grounds, not a dark alley in Beirut.

I am out of the UK so I don't know what's normal any more. Is it really considered essential for an 11yo to be watched every second of the day?

If schools really are expected to work like this, then something is very wrong indeed.

Trifleorbust · 09/12/2016 13:47

NothingIsOK: I am sure they would be very happy to make reasonable adjustment for him. However, at the moment, his parents have presented medical evidence that he can't take part. Nothing to do with him being excluded by school.

Trifleorbust · 09/12/2016 13:48

MaryTheCanary: Yep. Legally the school would be very much at fault if something happened to an 11 year old and he was not being supervised.

Namechangebitch · 09/12/2016 13:57

OP - please be careful you ds does not end up being put somewhere like the inclusion unit, he would be mortified.

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