Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To tell the PE teacher DS needs his glasses and take it further.

55 replies

TravellingSpoon · 10/01/2020 16:53

DS attends a special school and they outsource their PE classes to a company.

On tuesday DS said that his new PE teacher said he should take his glasses off for PE. I believed DS because he has limited communication and doesnt have the ability to make up a story.

I wrote a note in the communication book to say that he needed to wear them all times. HE has an eye condition and a really strong prescription. He really is almost blind without them (not an exaggeration!)

Diary comes back today to say that because of safety he needs to take them off in case they are broken and hurt his eyes or face, or they could fall off when running (which I understand and will offer to get one of those string thingies to keep them on).

AIBU to drop the office an email and say that the chances are much higher that DS will walk into something and injure himself, which has happened before.

I dont go up to school at all so no chance of catching a teacher in the playground.

OP posts:
Iggleonkupsy · 10/01/2020 16:55

Yanbu. But is there no way you can go to school on the odd occasion and say? Maybe ask if you can sign something to give permission so that they are not liable.

T0tallyFuckedUpFamily · 10/01/2020 16:57

I can understand their concerns, regarding the glasses being damaged or your son being injured, but I think a polite but firm letter, explaining why he needs them, should be enough. It sounds more like lack of understanding on the part of the company. Maybe ask for a copy of the letter to be given to the company as the school might not want to give them personal/medical information about your son.

jakinaboxx · 10/01/2020 16:58

On a different note, can you get prescription goggles ? My son's friend wears them for sport

itsgettingweird · 10/01/2020 17:00

I'm also practically blind without my glasses.

I teach PE and wear them.

In a special school. Grin

Those bands are great. The best ones are the neoprene ones that vacancy be tightened to hold the glasses on properly.
I actually wear one all the time at work (and have work glasses and home glasses!) because some of my students can grab and throw them if they are distressed about something.
It's very hard for me to help them calm if I can't even see their face!

lanbro · 10/01/2020 17:01

My dd needs to wear her glasses all the time, she has some really good frames that are bendy and unbreakable, and come with a band to keep them on if need be. She also has prescription goggles but prefers to wear her glasses for swimming.

YANBU, write to the school to confirm

mum2girls3 · 10/01/2020 17:02

How crazy! My DD has a very strong prescription and wears glasses at all times so I understand. Could you send a strongly worded letter saying that he is not safe without them because of his visual impairment and associated depth perception issues because he can’t see properly? If you get no joy from his class teacher this is something I would take up with the head. I’ve never understood why children are told to take my glasses off PE especially if it involves balls or apparatus!!

thejollyroger · 10/01/2020 17:03

If the school policy is that he can’t wear them for PE to prevent an injury, what is the compromise here? They’re not just going to let him wear them, surely?

bellabasset · 10/01/2020 17:03

Does your son not have plastic lenses? Have a word with the optician for advice for what glasses he needs for activities.

SleepWarrior · 10/01/2020 17:04

If special goggles are too expensive could you get some cheaper glasses from the internet that he swaps into for pe (and wears with the band) and doesn't have to worry if a ball hits his face and breaks them.

T0tallyFuckedUpFamily · 10/01/2020 17:05

I’m so glad you started this thread, OP. I had no idea that you could get prescription goggles!

ColaFreezePop · 10/01/2020 17:06

The PE teachers are clearly non-glasses wearers.

I use to wear my glasses when doing sport until I got contact lenses. There were sports I couldn't do but most school sports aren't those.

jakinaboxx · 10/01/2020 17:09

I'm -7 and my goggles were £12 from amazon

Poing · 10/01/2020 17:09

DC has a -13 script in both eyes, is 8 and wears contacts. Has since he was 5, because it helps him see better. I put them in, take them out and clean them.

Spitsandspots · 10/01/2020 17:11

DS year 11 also has a strong prescription. Has never had to take glasses off for p.e.

When playing on the Saturday rugby team they suggested if he continues beyond tag rugby to buy sport glasses to prevent breakage/injury but he gave it up anyway.

Prescription swimming goggles were life changing. I think his were only £12.
Can’t remember where we got them from but I know you can now get them on Amazon

Sirzy · 10/01/2020 17:15

I would be amazed if this is the first pupil they have had who can’t see in PE without glasses. They must have a suitable risk assessment in place.

I would be a lot more dangerous for DS to do PE without his than with them that’s for sure. My nephew has prescription goggles for swimming but for pe he just wears his normal glasses too.

If they are doing something like full contact rugby I get why specialist goggles may be needed but for the majority of PE lessons it shouldn’t be an issue at all

chocolateteapot20 · 10/01/2020 17:18

So many games teachers I've encountered over the years, being perfect physical specimens of the species, have no concept of dyspraxia, amblyopia, spatial awareness, or so many other things that can have an impact.

Doesn't the school have a health and safety policy? Doesn't the company? Don't they do risk assessments? If your DS has vision as bad as mine has been since the age of 8, surely the risk is higher if he doesn't wear his glasses and can't see the ball, or whatever? I don't quite know if you can invoke the DDA on this one, but it might be worth just casually dropping it into conversation... would your optician give you a statement saying your son needs to wear his glasses at all times?

Have a look at www.abdo.org.uk/eyecarefaq/sports-eyewear-for-children/ which makes some good points and has good suggestions (it's an opticians' site) and if you really can't get in to explain to the teachers why this is an issue, what about a phone call or Skype/Whatsapp/Zoom session?

And I'm not being funny, but Mr. New PE-teacher does realise that glasses aren't made of glass these days, doesn't he? If he's never had to wear them himself he might not realise...

Original poster
TravellingSpoon · 10/01/2020 17:19

I doubt that the PE lessons are very high impact, its more boccia and parachute games than Rugby or Hockey.

I will drop the office an email and just say I consent to him wearing his glasses in PE and take responsibility for any breakages.

OP posts:
marialuisa · 10/01/2020 17:20

That’s mad! DD has had a very strong prescription since toddlerhood and was never required to take her glasses off on dry land-including when showjumping and riding cross-country. We had to get prescription goggles for swimming as she can’t see the 10m from one side of the pool to the other.

thejollyroger · 10/01/2020 17:21

I will drop the office an email and just say I consent to him wearing his glasses in PE and take responsibility for any breakages.

The teacher is responsible for your son whether you say this or not.

Davincitoad · 10/01/2020 17:21

Probably in their risk assessment and they have to.

Amaretto · 10/01/2020 17:22

The wouldnt take a brace for a leg or special shoes. They ask a child not have ther glasses.

Im the same than your ds. Very strong precription. Im utterly lost wo them and woud not even consider doing any type of PE wo them.

HarukiMurakami · 10/01/2020 17:24

I would definitely email the office to query this - I’m Assistant Head of a primary special school and have never heard of a pupil having to take off their glasses for PE. Like a PP I wear glasses and leave them on for PE as do pupils in my class. If this were my school we would appreciate you letting the office know so we could speak to the class team and external provider and find out more about why they’ve said this. I could understand if they were doing something like a forward roll asking him to take them off briefly and then putting them straight back on but not removing his glasses for the whole lesson or for things like running that he might equally be doing at playtime.

ColaFreezePop · 10/01/2020 17:25

@thejollyroger so when he runs then trips over an obstacle and injures himself because he didn't realise the blur was actually a solid object the teacher isn't responsible?

StillMedusa · 10/01/2020 17:30

I work in a special school, and my ds2 was a pupil there and we would NEVER make a child do PE without his glasses on!

Apart from the fact that special school PE tends to be a lot gentler than mainstream, if a child is wearing classes it's because they need them to see. My son has worn glasses with a strong prescription since he was 6 months old and I'd take a very dim view of anyone who told him to take them off.
(And I couldn't see a thing without my own..I wouldn't be able to find the kids in my class!)

What we DID do however was to have cheap spares... ds2 is now an adult and does SN rugby which is non contact but he wears his spares for that in case his good ones get lost/ fall off/ ball in the face. Might that be an option?

I'd be quite firm.. glasses ON or no PE! They can't choose to take away an essential aid to protect their own insurance!

thejollyroger · 10/01/2020 17:31

ColaFreezePop

No, they would also be responsible for that. But if following school policy they are protected. If not, they’re not.