Children out in the rain

[Highby]

For the past 2 days my children have been out in the rain at break and lunchtime. They have spent the last 2 days wet. The heating has been turned down. The staff are cold.

AIBU to think school should be keeping my children warm and dry?

I would hate it if kids were kept in because the weather is bad - that would be pretty much all winter where I am! I agree that parents need to supply decent wet weather gear and it won't do the kids any harm.

My dc's school has a stash of donated wet weather gear that kids can access if they have forgotten anything, and I know items have been given to families who were struggling to provide kit for their dc.

No such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing.

Agreed.

Send in appropriate clothing.

Problem solved.

You do not want to see why a classroom full of kids who haven't exercised is like. .

I agree with others about sending DCs to school with adequate clothing for the weather.

And that goes for teachers as well - nowadays there are plenty of thin but very effective layers available, and plenty of types of layers that can be added/removed as needed, so wear a vest and carry a cardigan if you are likely to be cold. And wear proper socks, that really helps too!

A bit of rain won't "hurt" anyone but if children are going to play out in the pouring rain, not just a bit of drizzle, the school needs to let parents know this is the case and allow them to provide adequate clothing.

My natural assumption would be, unless told otherwise, that they stay inside when weather is inclement.

Allowing kids to sit around wet and cold won't necessarily "hurt" but it will hardly increase the health and wellbeing of the school, and a lot more children will come down with bugs and viruses and end up being off ill.

A bit of common sense on the part of the school is required, by the sounds of it.

I’ve yet to find a coat at Asda or Tesco that is waterproof and not showerproof..

You can get some very good waterproof spray from outdoor clothing shops that will increase their water resistance. One can goes a long way and lasts ages. However, it might be worth looking at places like Mountain Warehouse - eg this coat is tested to withstand 1,500mm of rain in a 24 hour period and is only £11.99 which must be comparable to the cheaper end of supermarket coats.

Wellies can be bought quite cheaply, except that for them to be worn about 10 times, some families cannot justify to spend those £10 on wellies when they are needed for food.

I can’t believe that a child in the U.K. only benefits from wearing wellies on ten occasions. They are all year round footwear and are frequently available for cheaper than £10.

It would be a lot better of course if British schools abandoned the idea of school uniforms entirely. Then children could be properly attired for winter in good fabrics, layers, boots etc and not in the thin rubbish and inadequate shoes that pass for school uniforms.

No such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing
To be fair that is a shit, twee statement and I say that a someine that loves mountains and outdoor activities and has fought for outdoor provision for the young people at the provision I wirk at!

It's not much fun walking and navigating in fog! It's not pleasant going for a walk in heavy hail no matter what clothes you have on! Try walking in today's gusts if wind that hit the north west. The best walking gear wouldn't make that fun!
That said, kids should go out in the rain and play. If the staff are cold, well they need to later up and have hats and gloves on and move around.

We were never allowed out in the rain in the 80s, don’t really know why. Used to love Wet Playtimes though. Roaming free inside with the lights on, water pouring down the window. My friend and I used to go round interviewing people, knock up a quick newspaper and deliver to anyone interested😁

Surely if you know your kids are going to out in the rain, you send them to school in warm waterproof coats and wellies? Not to do nothing but moan at the school for letting them out!

Better that they let off excess energy running around in the rain than they are cooped up inside.

I don't understand the obsession with the thread of children playing out in the pouring rain. NORMAL PROCEDURE IS THAT THEY STAY INSIDE FOR WET PLAYTIME. Sorry for shouting, but I've said this three times now and people are still posting No such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing

It's just incorrect!

you can get great fully waterproof coats from ebay for under £10 (my kids are wearing prelived ones). wellies for around £4 or £5 at nct sales or local facebook pages.

@shearwater no. normal procedure is to get them adequate clothing. kids need exercise

It's not much fun walking and navigating in fog! It's not pleasant going for a walk in heavy hail no matter what clothes you have on! Try walking in today's gusts if wind that hit the north west. The best walking gear wouldn't make that fun!

No, that doesn’t sound fun but it’s also not realistic of a child having a 15min breaktime outside in the morning and then a further 30mins at lunchtime. For some children, especially this time of year, that might be all of the time outdoors that they get.

It would be a lot better of course if British schools abandoned the idea of school uniforms entirely.

I completely disagree with that! It's all about common sense. My kids schools have a uniform policy, and the majority of parents still manage to provide adequate clothing. The children who come to school with inappropriate footwear do stay indoors on snow days.

As long as the school either provide cheap waterproofs with logos, or allow reasonable coloured clothing, it works perfectly well.

I don't understand the obsession with the thread of children playing out in the pouring rain. NORMAL PROCEDURE IS THAT THEY STAY INSIDE FOR WET PLAYTIME. Sorry for shouting, but I've said this three times now and people are still posting No such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing

Must depend upon the school. Not only do my children get to go out in the pouring rain for breaks but they also have an attached Forest School that is part of their education and means they are outside for lengthy sessions during the day as well.

NORMAL PROCEDURE IS THAT THEY STAY INSIDE FOR WET PLAYTIME.

no need to shout. That's not the case in my children's school. They only stay indoors if a) they don't have appropriate clothing - no decent footwear in the snow for example or b) it's icy and would be dangerous to be outside.

Unless there's a thunderstorm, they are outside even in the rain. The school keeps them safe, that doesn't mean keeping them out of the wet.

My kids have clothing at home for walking up mountains in the rain. Unless it's Forest School, I don't send them in it, as none of it is school uniform!

But you know what, outside your little cosy, middle class bubble, there are people who don't go out walking as a family and struggle to get a warm coat for their children. I live in an AONB, next to loads of footpaths, and there are kids who have never walked with their families out into the countryside.

It would be great if more people could do this. But accept that it simply isn't realistic in some areas to ask parents to buy additional clothing that will keep their children completely waterproof for 45 minutes at a time.

In any event, it is definitely NOT UNREASONABLE for the OP to expect that the children stay in when it's wet, as that is common practice in many schools.

@theonlyKevin why? costs are usually not part of the uniform, and black waterproof shoes are not hard to find. fashion trainers are way kess likey to be waterproof.
(ny son’s school has a compulsory waterproof school coat because parent couldn’t be trusted to provide a waterproof coat before)

@shearwater I live in the west of Scotland. If kids didn't get out in the rain they'd only get 3 playtime's a year.

I've had two waterproof coats for dd in the last 6 months. They have been completely and utterly waterproof with a fleece lining.
Both around £16
One from Tesco's and one from peacocks.
Wellies are cheap as chips and can be handed down.
Hats with fleece lining and good gloves are a must.

Ski gloves work really well you can get them in Aldi for about £4

Our school keep children in if it's raining cats and dogs, but a light rain is fine and is expect them to go out in it.

I just have my girls wear school boots now rather than the typical impractical girls shoes, and all the kids have thick, long coats and the usual hats etc. Sure sometimes they get home and their coats are still damp from lunch play but they're all still here to tell the tale so I'm sure they're fine.

Yes children should be dressed for the weather where possible but it’s bloody miserable being outside with icy rain lashing down on your face.

I agree Brits are terrible at dressing for the weather. Most dress for a life that rarely seems them outdoors for more than the walk from house to car.

It it true that many coats are not warm or waterproof, but what is the point of a coat that is not warm or waterproof?

IME,.if children get wet at school, either on the way I'm or at break, they will be encouraged to change into plimsols etc