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Original poster

Or is this PE teacher unreasonable about periods

706 replies

BigSandyBalls2015 · 26/01/2017 21:32

DD(15) is doing GCSE PE. Part of this involves 'personal survival' which takes place in local swimming pool.

The school obv need to book this, can't just turn up, but DD queried what would happen if some of the girls had their period at the time. PE teacher (female) replied that they'd obviously have to use a tampon, they can't miss it, can't arrange another day. A few girls told her they didn't use/get on with tampons and she got annoyed saying they'd have to get on with it on the day as no other option.

OP posts:
LiviaDrusillaAugusta · 27/01/2017 12:08

Perhaps employers should insist that female employees wear tampons when, for example, they have a 'team away day' which involves swimming and they have their period even though it doesn't affect their work in the normal course of things. Because none of us deserves to decide what we put in our fanjos

EnthusiasmIsDisturbed · 27/01/2017 12:08

I agree with scheduling another session two weeks later

But that won't necessarily cover all of the girls I know at the age and most of my friends are periods hadn't settled into the 28 day cycle and for some their periods lasted a few days others over a week

LiviaDrusillaAugusta · 27/01/2017 12:11

Is it possible for an alternative module in another sport to be done? (I don't know how it works)

Shadowboy · 27/01/2017 12:17

I don't think many are taking the practicalities here.
With a GCSE module a graded 'event' must have two staff. Now let's assume there are 30 girls how logistically does a school keep rescheduling pool hire and getting the students to and from the pool (minibus required) plus two memeners of staff out.

The cost of the pool hire, the cover for the staff etc.
Whilst I understand that girls shouldn't be forced to use tampons it is very difficult for a school to move things around like this because a student can't perform for a 7 day period. What if they reschedule for a fortnight later but this involves the student missing other lessons, or other students complaining they have a cover teacher. Whatever schools do they simply can't keep everyone happy!

myfavouritecolourispurple · 27/01/2017 12:17

Yes it is, it depends on the exam board I imagine but my son was looking at PE GCSE and it looked like there was quite a choice of team and individual activities.

But if a girl is good at swimming and wants to do it, she should be able to and as periods are a fact of life, it should not be beyond the wit of (wo)man to provide a series of assessment dates.

myfavouritecolourispurple · 27/01/2017 12:18

Whatever schools do they simply can't keep everyone happy

I'm sure if it was something that affected boys, the schools would accommodate it.

Gileswithachainsaw · 27/01/2017 12:24

It's not about keeping everyone happy.

It's about providing adequate opportunities to enable the students to participate.

Two sessions should have been the status quo from the beginning. Then logistics would have been figured other years ago

Common sense really

RufusTheSpartacusReindeer · 27/01/2017 12:45

Is there anyone on here who is actually a PE teacher?

Dd is doing pe and ds2 is thinking about it and there are masses of sports they can pick from

Over 50% of which i would say isnt even done at the school

Anothermoomin · 27/01/2017 13:06

Shadowboy has explained the issues and she is assuming the pool is available, which it may well not be. Despite this posters keep on saying 'sort it out' like the swimming pool fairy will wave a wand.

If your child has cover sessions because the teacher is off taking students to the pool don't complain. Also, if your child is prevented from doing something because the school paid for a pool for 3 girls will you be OK with that?

mycatwantstokillme1 · 27/01/2017 13:23

To those of you who don't let periods ruin your life - good for you. Unfortunately there are a lot of women who can't just 'suck it up' because their periods are too painful.

In my late teens I worked in a department store with a lovely woman who looked like death warmed up on the first 2 days of her period. The way sme of the other women belittled her was appalling. When the poor woman got pregnant she also suffered terribly and got the usual shit 'pregnancy isn't an illness' and she was slagged off something rotten. I used to defend her but I wish I'd done more because they were disgusting in the way they spoke about her.

I'm just gutted that clearly things don't seem to have moved on. And these comments from other women too.

PS - I have never said on this thread that using the pill is blanket dangerous. I don't think anyone else has. But it can be dangerous so to suggest that a teenage girl goes on it just to accomodate a PE GCSE module is wrong in my opinion.

I'm sick of women having to put things in their body that they don't want to just so their period (which they can't help) doesn't bother anyone else.

hellejuice91 · 27/01/2017 13:27

This is a really valuable life lesson. There are gonna be times when these girls need to use tampons. For instance during swimming, or when they need to wear specific outfits for a event. Life doesn't stop as they older and they need to learn now that their period should not be an obstacle xx

LiviaDrusillaAugusta · 27/01/2017 13:34

Oh FFS - someone else with the 'they will need to do it so as not to affect their lives'

They really shouldn't be told shit like this - nobody should have to put anything inside themselves if they can't or don't want to.

I have never had to wear an outfit that would cause me to wear internal protection Confused

If you can't use tampons etc then one week a month you can't swim. That doesn't mean you can't function. I don't know any adults that swim anyway so it's not something that has to affect you.

If you want to swim and can use internal sanpro then fab.

Those of us who only use external sanpro manage to live full lives too - shocking though that is Shock

Why bother teaching them that their bodies are theirs and they have the right not to be made to put anything inside them?

LiviaDrusillaAugusta · 27/01/2017 13:36

Genuine question - what would you do with a girl who couldn't use a tampon for some reason? Make her anyway! Presumably not. So why do they 'have to learn'

As for valuable life lesson - it's that alrightConfused

mycatwantstokillme1 · 27/01/2017 13:36

helle why do wome need to use tampons? Livia has explained really well on this thread how she can't use tampons but that's not been an obstacle for her. As for needing to use them to wear certain clothes for specific events, I can't agree with you. I think the point is that for some women periods are horrific and they can't control them and not let them be an obstacle. (No offence meant to you)

Italiangreyhound · 27/01/2017 13:36

Shadow "Whilst I understand that girls shouldn't be forced to use tampons it is very difficult for a school to move things around like this because a student can't perform for a 7 day period. What if they reschedule for a fortnight later but this involves the student missing other lessons, or other students complaining they have a cover teacher. Whatever schools do they simply can't keep everyone happy"

We are not talking about keeping everyone happy but enabling girls to pursue their studies. I won't be complaining if my daughter has a cover teacher just like I didn't complain when she she spent part of the day tidying a cupboard at school at teachers request; or went in with Year One when in Year five due to teacher shortage, or whole class was evacuated to get away from a naughty boy!

Patents and kids, especially girls, put up with a lot of shit from schools. So not having to swim when bleeding, seems fair!

SexTrainGlue · 27/01/2017 13:38

The logistics isn't just about pool availability, this that's not a trivial one.

It's also about the entire timetable for controlled assessments (orals, practicals and of course exams) and the times within which they must be conducted (there will be variables between boards, but one states that all must be carried out in June). So as well as every other subject that has that sort of assessment, the PE department will be running them for all the sports that candidates are offering. Now, not all schools will be able to offer all of them, because there are nearly 40 on the new list and there were over 50 on the old one. But if schools offer a reasonable range (say 6-8 taught in school and of course moderating with governing bodies those not actually taught) and remembering that candidates have to be properly observed, staff could easily be occupied every single day in June (once you've knocked off weekend that's 22 days, and of course some won't be available because of other exams) there just isn't scope for multiple assessment days for each sport.

If someone cannot participate on the day, for whatever reason, then the special consideration route is available.

LiviaDrusillaAugusta · 27/01/2017 13:39

Alternatively you could force the ones who can't/won't use them to explain to the whole class why not - that'll teach them... Hmm

MiniPharm · 27/01/2017 13:39

Surely they arrange a mop up session

How apt Grin

GlacindaTheTroll · 27/01/2017 13:40

"but this involves the student missing other lessons"

It wouldn't be other lessons - they'll be in study leave by then (or attending study leave on-site, depending on schools policy)

LiviaDrusillaAugusta · 27/01/2017 13:41

The timetable is almost a red herring - people are just casually saying that girls should suck it up and allow other people to decide what goes in their bodies. Because that's not a terrifying message is it?

LiviaDrusillaAugusta · 27/01/2017 13:44

And this on a site which deems children running around in the cold as 'cruel' but has no issue with this

AllPowerfulLizardPerson · 27/01/2017 13:46

Time tabling of GCSEs is surely not a red herring, and is not entirely within the gift of the school. When the board lays out which days the exams take place, and the window within which controlled assessments must take place, there can be surprisingly little time to spare (especially in big schools with lots of candidates) even with a single running of the assessment.

LiviaDrusillaAugusta · 27/01/2017 13:48

I meant that if you see what people are advocating (suck it up or your entire life will be fucked) it's very sickening - I get exams are important but bodily autonomy is surely more important!

AllPowerfulLizardPerson · 27/01/2017 13:54

The way I read OP, the teacher offered the bloody obvious suggestion of internal protection. When countered that some girls can't she said they'd have to find a way (which isn't quite the same as saying it has to be a tampon) which is perfectly respectful of their bodily autonomy as it is up to them to find the means to participate in a controlled assessment that they must have known was in the cards for a couple of years at least.

I am however assuming that those who chose swimming (from the oodles of options that can be examined) are training regularly so they can reach the higher performance levels. Whatever they do about periods in training can surely be also done for the assessment?

LiviaDrusillaAugusta · 27/01/2017 13:55

There are previous posters who are saying they need to suck it up and use tampons - maybe it's me but I find it disturbing...