Or is this PE teacher unreasonable about periods

[BigSandyBalls2015]

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.

If you've read my comments as being an expectation of schools rather than what I'd like to see as an approach towards health education then you've read them completely wrong.

Don't they wear T shirts and leggings in GCSE personal survival? It's not just a swimming costume.

To be honest this another thread makes me despair. And where is the OP?
Gone swimming no doubt.

Greyhound - because that's how moderation works. In Drama the moderator comes that day and sees what is happening that day. If Flossie is ill or their mum has just died (both circumstances that have happened) tough. The group act has to go ahead. You can put in for special consideration, just like in a written exam but that's only two or three percent. It's tough and unfair but there aren't enough moderators, time, resources, money in schools to change things just because a normal bodily function is happening to girls. Boys quite often stop swimming in Year 9 due to what I can only term 'unruly willy syndrome'. They can't help it - it can take them unawares. Yes, it's not great for the girls but there is nothing a school can do. Teachers want to get their pupils the best grades possible so if it was possible to change then they would. At the moment teachers are screaming at the exam boards and government about many things such as no materials published for the new GCSE English exam, the fact that markers for exam boards often get it wrong (not marking one whole 25 mark question - pupil went from a C to an A), Btec, aimed at those who find exams hard but who are ntelligent, now having a significant exam element to them. I could go on. So, a PE teacher saying what about periods is going to a gnat bite.

Anyway, for year ten onwards GCSE a now been Michael Goved and it is now 40% practical only thus disadvantaging a whole section of pupils. The sports have been cut to just those offered by traditional public schools so no more personal survival, sailing, windsurfing, kayaking, archery, shooting. On fact most of what appears in the Olympics so my son, who got an A star for his practical wouldn't now be able to take GCSE pe as non of his seven sports that he does to a good level are assessed now. How is that fair. Even worse, they've put bits of the A level syllabus onto the GCSE syllabus meaning that a whole raft of students who previously had a GCSE that they could access and achieve in, now cannot. PE teachers and sports governing bodies have all screamed at this. Doubt anything will happen.

The new, GCSEs utterly disadvantage all those with SEN and those not 'academically shaped' but who have a myriad of skills which are valuable to society so in the grand scheme of things a period and personal survival (where they are fully clothed and no pyjamas allowed it has to be long sleeved top, jumper, trousers') can merit a bit of 'get real'. Yes, it isn't great for the girls but neither is the whole system for summer born boys or the disabled. At least there are solutions to periods and I do think that women pioneered the wildernesses of the world for centuries often clad in totally unsuited clothing and, no doubt, having periods yet just got on with it.

PE and swimming lessons were pretty ridiculous when I was at school in the mid sixties with a sarky psychopath for a teacher. What a shame that things really haven't changed for the better.

Not all girls can cope with tampons, I certainly couldn't and I'm sure I wasn't unique.

Trifle what has been suggested is not, nor should it be, impossible. Your minority of girls could be 5 or 10 or 15% of half the school! And that percentage could go up or down any year. I see no evidence from your comments of any interest to change the status quo. No wonder PE is generally IMHO a very disliked subject!

Flying the fact some pioneering women managed doesn'really mean modern women need to put up with shit, we've been doing it for 5 millennium, when can it stop.

Your wiggling Willy syndrome could be sorted by some well made swim trunks maybe?

Sounds like education and testing is in a bit of a mess! Maybe the government should be looking into why the tax payer is paying for testing services that are not fit for purpose. People missing a test due to a bereavement or serious illness are just going to miss out? So they have had tax payer education but don't get tax payer paid for recognition because the body we fund to regulate this is not sufficiently flexible?

Maybe these should be issues heads should be discussing together; instead of worrying if little Benny in year 4 has a week's holiday in term time.

I am not blaming individual teachers! I just think education and testing is not set up for the benefit of pupils and that should be explored. It actually looks like a big can of worms and the deeper you dig the more wormy it gets!

Likewise agree uptgread the PE turns some/many off physical activity. Is there research into what approach works best in terms of participation and long term sports/physical fitness ability?

Maybe some big sports companies like Nike might be able to find unbiased research into how to make PE a really positive thing in the lives of young people.

So well done individual teachers for hard work.

Please push these issues upwards to heads, leadership teams or unions.

I am sure no teacher wants to prepare a child for an exam they will not be able to take, for any reason.

I have never been able to use tampons. I tried for the last time at age 46 and ended up fainting with pain. This was on an expensive water sports holiday. I only swam in the sea after that, with surf shorts and a pad on... and had a towel at the ready, to wrap around when I got out.

I disagree that someone should just pop a tampon up and get on with it!

I tried to use a tampon on 2 occasions as a teenager, applicator and taken out of the applicator. No matter what i did, i just could not get it in. I tried everything in the leaflet, angling towards small of the back, sat on the loo, standing one foot on the seat, squatting, everything. Went through half a box of the bloody things (these were the tampax mini so smallest tampon you can get) and it just would not happen, it also left me really quite sore from trying. Tried again with a different cycle, used the rest of the box and still no joy. I'm 27 and still have never used a tampon, but these days it's also to do with finding it gross to go to the loo without changing one, how do you not pee all over the string and your hand, even trying to hold it out of the way? I'd much rather use a pad. I have an implant now though so no periods bar the occasional spotting after about 12 months. There's no way i could have gotten a tampon in if i were in your daughters situation, and plenty of other girls couldn't either. The teacher is being completely unreasonable to suggest anyone be "forced" to use a tampon, if it won't go in it won't go in! That being said if they can only get one booked session and it's the only available day, any girl on her period who cannot use a tampon will have to find an alternative, be it wearing a pad til the last moment then changing and putting another on ASAP, or possibly trying to get on the pill as a temporary measure.
That being said the pill doesn't agree with everyone, or people are against synthetic hormones, and if the exam is in a swimming pool they might not allow menstruating women in without a tampon. It is unfortunate, but in the event a girl is unlucky enough to have her period, not be able to use tampons, not be able to use the pill, and bleed too heavily to be comfortable going without protection temporarily/isn't allowed in without a tampon then what can the teacher do? She can't possibly plan and book a day that doesn't have at least one girl being on their period, i doubt she gets to pick the date at all and it's a date given to her.

I see no evidence from your comments of any interest to change the status quo

I support any reasonable measures to help my students. I am not, however, going to pretend that that makes unreasonable solutions reasonable. It doesn't.

If your DD has selected GCSE PE I would have thought you might have considered that there would be times that this might be an issue. Perhaps it's time to help your daughter to use them comfortably. If there is a serious issue and I know some women suffer with vaginismus then you will need to contact the teacher but the vast majority of girls will be able to use them successfully.

Trifle I believe you want to help your students. I am just not sure why working with other schools to allow a student to test on another date at a different site is a problem. Is it against the rules? And if so, why?

Ps do you actually teach PE Trifle?

Giddyaunt18 not everyone wants to use tampons.

Giddyaunt18 please read this before encouraging teens to use tampons. I know it is rare but very dangerous. the decision of teens should be there decision knowing any risks. Not encouraged by adults IMHO<a class="break-all" href="//smilewww.vice.com/en_us/article/is-toxic-shock-on-the-rise-among-young-women" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">smilewww.vice.com/en_us/article/is-toxic-shock-on-the-rise-among-young-women

Their decision!

Italiangreyhound: No, I don't teach PE. I have no issue with schools working together IF that is going to work for the schools involved.

Flyingprettycretonnecurtains Sun 29-Jan-17 15:51:03

Btec, aimed at those who find exams hard but who are ntelligent, now having a significant exam element to them.

"I have no issue with schools working together IF that is going to work for the schools involved." That Trifle is great to hear, and I totally agree, and no I do not teach.

"Is it against the rules? And if so, why?"

For the exam boards I know, yes right now it is against the rules (you can train in any consortia, but you must be assessed by your own centre) no I don't know why (other than obvious ID issues) and I suppose it could be changed.

I'm guessing, but it's possible that there is resistance to multiple sessions because the exam season (even with linear exams) is still pretty busy and assessments of all types are meant to be towards the end of the course so everyone has had pretty much the same time to train in all sports (plus for all orals, and for all DT, art etc)

YANBU. Why can't they hold two sessions, a fortnight apart?

Ordinarily: Oh my god, it's like Groundhog Day on here.

Some schools will be able to do this. Other schools won't. That time of the year is rammed with assessment and exams so there could be conflicts (there certainly would be in my school). Staff and facilities may not be available. Yes, do this if it's possible but if it isn't, it isn't.

italian I'm not encouraging teens to use tampons. it needs to be discussed by mother and daughter and of course TSS knowledge is part of that. When I spoke to my DD about it she had already had a lesson on it at school. My point was that MOST girls can use them successfully, its part of life unless you are happy to miss out in which case why post on mumsnet?

Giddyaunt18 I am sorry if I misread your post."Perhaps it's time to help your daughter to use them comfortably." That sounded like encouraging a parent to encourage a child to use them.

It might be totally appropriate to do so. If it were not for TSS I am sure it would be. I haven't had a period for years and were it not for the TSS info here I might be talking to my dd about it when she is older (she is 12 now).

"...its part of life unless you are happy to miss out in" what do you think people are missing out on by not using tampons?

It seems to me from this thread lots of women posting struggle to do things during their period and it is due to heavy blood flow not lack of tampons. But I am sorry if I miss representatives your thoughts, not my intention.

PE teacher is being unreasonable.

To those who think the 15 year old should just get in with it and use a tampon - try a bit of sympathy. A 15 year old should not have to use a tampon unless shes comfortable with it. As for comparing it to girls who swim seriously, thats not the same. They are making a choice to participate in a sport regularly.

"As for comparing it to girls who swim seriously, thats not the same. They are making a choice to participate in a sport regularly."

I think it is the same. Opting to have it as your chosen GCSE sport, and needing to take part in the exam, is quite different from sports lessons for those who didn't choose to participate in this sport.