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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

PE teachers and kids with no kit

37 replies

Pseudonym99 · 28/12/2016 00:43

I left school in 91, and following on from the PE showers thread, wondered what others' experiences are if you didn't have your PE kit. We had to go without kit, but with just with our blouse or jumper to protect our modesty. Do you think its okay to make kids without their kit to still do the lesson? No doubt these days it wouldn't happen!

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SawdustInMyHair · 28/12/2016 08:24

Teacher here! Primary. My class are too young to have problems with BO, so if they forget we usually have them do it in their uniform (which is basically the same as the kit anyway). This also means there's no problems from parents who can't afford separate kit, or it being forgotten on purpose. A lot if mine don't even own the kit, they sometimes bring a change of shoes. They're not getting muddy or anything as it's skills not cross country!

The only thing we have them sit out for, apart from illness, is if their shoes are not appropriate/safe, and then they go and sit in another class and parents are informed that they've missed some of their learning. If it keeps happening it becomes a more formal thing.

CeeceeBloomingdale · 28/12/2016 08:53

It was pants and vests when I was at school. Now our primary let's them borrow a kit from a vhild in another class. I also have issues with kitting out kids who don't bring their own as its not always returned and I then have to send duplicate kit in of my children! (demographic means it's more likely it's forgotten than they can't afford one)

SomewhatIdiosyncratic · 28/12/2016 09:04

At secondary we had to raid lost property and hope for the best. In yr7, my friend forgot her games skirt and the only one available was twice the size of her waist, so I helped her to pin it on. When we joined our class we got litter detentions for lateness- no good deed goes unpunished Hmm Fortunately the teacher running the litter detentions was far kinder than the sadistic PE teacher (he was the one who'd moan about my lack of effort while hyperventilating), took one look at the two meek little girls and sent us to the 6th form common room rather than the grotty stuff outside.

Original poster
Pseudonym99 · 28/12/2016 09:14

I'm glad to see not all secondary schools were as sadistic as mine! I suppose primary school age it isn't quite as bad making kids do PE in underwear if they don't have their kit. I suppose the humiliation meant I only ever forgot mine once!

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backwardpossom · 28/12/2016 09:31

PE is such a pointless waste of time for most kids. They should make it optional and let those who don't want to participate use the time for something productive instead.

Couldn't disagree more. For some kids, it's the only exercise they get. Vital part of the curriculum.

Original poster
Pseudonym99 · 28/12/2016 09:40

*PE is such a pointless waste of time for most kids. They should make it optional and let those who don't want to participate use the time for something productive instead.

Couldn't disagree more. For some kids, it's the only exercise they get. Vital part of the curriculum.*

I don't know. PE does put a lot of kids off exercise. Having sadistic PE teachers making me do it with no kit when I forgot it certainly didn't encourage me to enjoy it.

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Dowser · 28/12/2016 09:42

At high school we had to wear regulation navy blue knickers under our uniform. Naturally we only wore them on gym days. Navy shorts and a white aeratex top.
This was the 1960s.

I hated Pe I wanted to do ballet and keep fit. I hated all outdoor sports.
We had showers with no curtains across, we all got very good at dodging them. We nearly always had a period.

One of the older girls ran a ballet class at lunchtime. We had an hour and a half lunch, so I went to that. At home I had a full length mirror on the back of the door and I used to practice in my bedroom. I'd exercise for hours at home, yet hated it at school.

backwardpossom · 28/12/2016 09:49

PE is so much different now to when we were (I was) in school, at least it is where I teach (I'm not a PE teacher, btw - I teach a traditionally 'academic' subject). Kids seem to like it much more. The activities they do are much more varied and 'modern' - street dance and cheerleading, for example. There's a gym at our school and the kids can use it, too. There's no swimming in icy pools any more, or outdoor hockey in your knickers. I'd have loved to do PE if it had been like that when I was at school!

CancellyMcChequeface · 28/12/2016 09:56

Primary school - had to do it in vest and knickers. As I said on the other thread, even as a very small child I saw this as a humiliating punishment for forgetting kit, and was incredibly anxious about remembering mine.

Middle school - anyone who forgot had to pick out kit from lost property if it was indoor PE, or sit out if it was outdoor. This was to do with footwear - they were sensible enough not to make students wear badly-fitting loaned trainers, but indoors everyone had bare feet.

High school - joined in wearing school uniform if it was practical (so, badminton yes, gymnastics no) or else helped with equipment/refereeing. We had six weeks of swimming each year and anyone who missed two or more for any reason (absent, forgot swimwear, period) had to go to an extra session after school.

I hated school PE for lots of reasons. I was the child who was absolutely delighted when we were 'punished' by having to do extra maths or something instead. It took me a long time after leaving school to realise that exercise can be enjoyable when you can choose the activity you want, at the pace you want, wearing clothes you feel comfortable in. I think the idea of physical exercise at school is a great one, but the implementation leaves a lot to be desired. Students who hate PE might have to do it at school and so get a bit of exercise, but if it puts them off being physically active in adult life, what's the point?

OpalTree · 28/12/2016 10:44

I don't think a sadistic PE teacher would last long nowadays. There certainly aren't any in dd's comp as far as i know. Dd is not that able at PE and doesn't get good marks for it, but she tries and the PE teachers recognise that and are nice to her and give her good marks for effort.

RandomMcRandomer · 28/12/2016 10:45

For me primary - underwear, secondary - I did pe in gym knickers and a tshirt with no skirt once when I was missing my skirt (which never did show up) I also recall seeing girls in knickers.

Now for primary they take kit in at the start of each half term and it gets sent home each holiday. It's never stunk btw. If they do pe before you sent the kit in they find a pair of shorts and tshirt from a box of spare kit (donated by parents who often give school old uniform. Some is kept for spares and the rest given out to others who need it. The spares get washed. No idea who by but the box always looks reasonable and never smells.)

Secondary seems to be detention and borrow school spare kit. My DD has not yet recovered from having to wear school spare trainers when one of her trainers fell out of her bag when she grabbed it off the coat hook. I've never seen anyone look so relieved as she did when she found her rogue trainer in the cupboard by the hook her bag lives on...

Original poster
Pseudonym99 · 28/12/2016 12:21

You're right Opal. I think any PE teacher trying this on in this day and age wouldn't last until the end of the day

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