Different PE for girls and boys

[Mich0027]

My son hates rugby at school and wants to do netball which only the girls play. AIBU to ask if he can?!

I don't think YABU. Unless he is old enough to ask for himself. I'd have liked to play football with the boys instead of hockey and dance. I don't really understand why there are still 'boys sports' and 'girls sports'

Primary or secondary? Are they played at the same time? Does he really want to play netball or just not play rugby? What will he do when they move onto the next rotation?

“I don't really understand why there are still 'boys sports' and 'girls sports'”

BecUse after a certain age, boys are bigger, stronger and faster than girls.

Mixed teams for contact sports stop at (I think) U12. I remember playing rugby in a mixed team at school, aged 11, one of the boys on the other side had shot up in both height and weight, I was badly bruised and limping for several days after being tackled by him.

He's secondary (just) and it's more the fact that he really doesn't want to play rugby. It's full contact and he despises it. He asked about netball but the teacher said no and if he doesn't join in rugby he'll be sanctioned

*“I don't really understand why there are still 'boys sports' and 'girls sports'”

BecUse after a certain age, boys are bigger, stronger and faster than girls.*

Yes, but that doesn't actually answer why there are "boys sports", just why they cannot compete in the same category fairly. They can still both play netball or rugby, just not so often against each other.

Basketball is really popular around here - it might be available later in the year?

At our school boys and girls do rugby but it's not for many lessons so my kids suck it up.

Don’t boys play basketball at some point which is similar?

I think YABU tho - lots of kids hate school PE but you have to get on with it unfortunately. Hopefully the next sport he rotated to he will enjoy more

*“I don't really understand why there are still 'boys sports' and 'girls sports'”

BecUse after a certain age, boys are bigger, stronger and faster than girls*

This shouldn’t mean that there are girls and boys sports. It could mean they don’t play mixed teams though.

I think girls should be offered rugby, and boys should be offered netball. Perhaps not mixed teams though, depending on the sport.

Also I did rugby and football at school but not against boys

@ghostsandghoulies yea I've been making him suck it up too but he was in tears over it this week and now the schools threatening sanctions I feel I should intervene. He's struggling to settle at secondary & this isn't helping

@Stubbornuincorn I hear what yours saying if it was maths he was carrying on about I'd be saying that too. He's not saying he won't do sports he's just uncomfortable with full contact and I can't say I blame him

Netball is for some reason the only sport that is allowed to receive Sport England funding despite refusing the do anything to improve the gender diversity in the sport. Netball as a sport in this country doesn't want boys involved and for that reason should be dropped from the curriculum for both genders until the governing body begins to change its stance.

My dd is 15and they do mixed sports.This year the girls are playing football for the first time with boys who have always played.The girls now are just hanging back as they are not sure of the rules,the boys rarely pass to them and there have been a few injuries over tackles.
The mixed thing has happened fir a while except for running where the girls run a all the boys watch and vivah versa.Again the girls are body conscious so don't try.It really isn't working.
I know this doesn't help your son but my dds experience is that fixed sport means girls and boys play 'biys sports'.The girls were taught contact rugby last year,that died a very early death.

Pe at secondary school is done on a rotation basis. It may be they can offer extra sports such as rugby or netball an extra curriculum activity, but during p.e lessons it's a class thing. So after Xmas it will be a different sport.

I’m pretty appalled at the school’s position.

An unwilling and nervous child being forced to play full-contact rugby is dangerous. No coach worth their salt would be advocating that.

Could you discuss your son doing the passing exercises but not doing the contact aspect?

Ruby at school was always for a term, surely he can find another option?

I mean I refused to do PE for five years so maybe I'm not the best person to ask

@sweeneytoddsrazor yes it's football after Christmas but i don't want my son having isolation or detentions for the next 7 weeks for ' lack of effort' or refusing to participate. I'm hoping the school will help us agree an alternative

@JacquesHammer that's how I feel. The teacher sounds a bit sergeant major I've phoned him twice

@SneakyGremlins 😂 me too actually and I took the consequences which actually I found preferable to PE

Well they stopped giving me consequences as I always did them instead so they gave up! All the other boys played football (ugh) in the rain, I sat inside in the warmth!

Have you spoken to his head of year?

Its all well and good saying he can find another option but pe is compulsory at school and obviously not all pupils ade going to enjoy all aspects of it. It isnt really practical to say do something else where are all the extra teachers going to come from to supervise. Maybe he can join in warm ups and then referee the games or something

and obviously not all pupils ade going to enjoy all aspects of it

The problem is the sheer risk of having a nervous or unsure child taking part in contact sport. Forcing them to do so with threats of sanctions is such a poor method of encouraging.

I've emailed his pastoral support head of house. The teacher won't allow him to 'help' it's play or consequences. Netball is on at the same time which is why I thought I might ask if he can join that class as a practical option.