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AIBU?

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Original poster

PE teachers inspecting pupils' feet - Unusual?

116 replies

noverrucasnowadays · 09/03/2020 16:43

Something's just jogged my memories of the verruca checks we had in middle school (in the UK - late 90s/early 00s).

At the start of each new term we all had to sit on the gymhall floor in queues, shuffling forward one by one on our bums to have our feet inspected. The teachers sat on chairs at the head of the hall, wearing gloves, and we had to extend one foot at a time to them for examination.

The context was that all indoor PE lessons were expected to take place barefoot, unless you (at the beginning of term Hmm) had a verruca, in which case you were allowed to wear plimsolls or trainers.

To me it feels (and felt) really quite strange.

For all I know though, it wasn't uncommon at all. Now I'm really curious!

Help me out fellow MNers... Did this happen at any of the schools you attended?

I've NC for this, just in case it turns out that the only UK middle school this happened at was my one!! :). Thanks for your time.

OP posts:
Likefootball · 09/03/2020 17:58

Happened at our school in the early 70's.
PE teacher would from time to time inspect our feet in the changing room.
Anyone who had a verruca was told to go to the Doctor/Clinic and excused swimming.

FurrySlipperBoots · 09/03/2020 17:58

We never had the nit nurse! I had headlice heaps of times instead.

cliffdiver · 09/03/2020 18:00

I remember this.

2000's.

The first PE lesson at the start of every half term.

Socks off, all sitting in a line on the floor, legs stretched out so the teacher could inspect our feet for verrucasGrin

I'm a teacher and there's no way I would do this! Grim.

CaptainMyCaptain · 09/03/2020 18:01

Out PE teacher used to check for veruccas (late 60s).

BertieBotts · 09/03/2020 18:01

For swimming at primary school in the 90s. But I had a verruca for ages and I didn't know because they never said anything to me! So I think it was just perfunctory. Never saw anyone sit out either. Eventually my mum noticed it or I showed it to her and she got some berruca to get rid of it which seemed to work. That spot on my foot still itches randomly though, as though it's still there deep under the skin Envy

Sleepyblueocean · 09/03/2020 18:04

Yes every term early 80s. We did gym and dance barefoot. We also had the walk through shower where you had to hold your towel above your head and if you were on your period and so couldn't shower, you had to tell the pe teacher who made a note of it in her register.
No wonder so many girls hated PE.

itsgettingweird · 09/03/2020 18:04

I don't remember doing it.

But I can imagine it was done just before my time (secondary in early 90's) going by some of the rumours we heard about PE lessons when I joined!

Fieldofgreycorn · 09/03/2020 18:05

Yes in primary school before swimming decades ago.

usuredo · 09/03/2020 18:14

Yuck I remember barefoot indoor PE lessons and how you’d always get little bits stuck on the bottom of your feet.

loumumise · 09/03/2020 18:16

My sons school check feet before swimming every week,

Lynda07 · 09/03/2020 18:17

I've never heard of that being done. Surely young children's feet are checked by their parents anyway? Not as they get older of course but I certainly would have objected strongly to anyone examining me for anything if they were not a doctor.

I had a verruca once when I used to swim regularly but I was 23 and organised treatment for myself.

northernlittledonkey · 09/03/2020 18:17

We had this before swimming and also the nit nurse, I'm sure she had a name. Having nits was a day off school, whilst you got treated by parents with a really smelly liquid. Was hideous.

Lynda07 · 09/03/2020 18:20

FurrySlipperBoots Mon 09-Mar-20 17:57:02
I don't remember verruca checks. We did have to do PE in our underwear in infant school, and older if we'd forgotten kit. I was very self conscious about it. Some things do change for the better! At least by the 00's schools (well mine at least!) didn't make you shower naked after PE. That would have been really traumatising!
........
Yes it would! I never had that but I would have refused anyway. It must be against our human rights to be made to go naked in front of others.

Shodan · 09/03/2020 18:22

Yuck I remember barefoot indoor PE lessons and how you’d always get little bits stuck on the bottom of your feet

Grin I do karate and I can tell you, school halls especially are gross. Sometimes my feet are thickly coated with black yuckiness after a class...

CaptainMyCaptain · 09/03/2020 18:23

Yes it would! I never had that but I would have refused anyway. It must be against our human rights to be made to go naked in front of others.
The PE teacher watched us go naked through the showers (late 60s). I think you would have been asked to leave if you refused, you had to accept the rules without question, we had never heard of human rights. It was a sought after Grammar school and you had to toe the line or go elsewhere.

WhoWants2Know · 09/03/2020 18:25

I wish they did that at my kid's school! Years of veruccas and chilblains because of barefoot PE. We treat them and almost as soon as they've gone a sibling pops up with one.

hels71 · 09/03/2020 18:26

At the start of every term in secondary school in the 1980s. Had managed to block that out until now!!

Coughsyrupsucks · 09/03/2020 18:31

I have a vague recollection of that happening in the 80s before we went swimming.

What’s weirder in my first year at secondary (1983) we had to ‘knicker check’ to make sure we were wearing regulation blue school knickers! Only happened that year. WTAF looking back on it!

Letsallscreamatthesistene · 09/03/2020 18:33

I went to primary in the late 90's. I dont remember verucca checks except before swimming, I dont remember having to queue up to see the nit nurse once a term.

I also remember having to do PE IN YOUR UNDERWEAR if you forgot your kit. I distinctly remember once one pupil forgot his kit, so we ALL had to do PE in our underwear so he wouldnt feel out of place.

I cant believe it was allowed to happen now.

redwinefine · 09/03/2020 18:35

Yes, we had this, but I think it was more for swimming, changing rooms, etc as our PE lessons were definitely done in shoes. During the same lesson when the foot check was done, the teacher would ask you if you had any relevant medical issues which I always thought was a bit mortifying. You'd have to look round and pretend you couldn't hear all the problems your mates were telling the teacher

chipsandgin · 09/03/2020 18:40

Vaguely remember those & the nit checks - the most traumatic memories were the naked showers in freezing rooms with no towels until you walked back across the room to your peg fully naked. I think the school health checks were down to far higher levels of poverty and neglect than we have now, however the showers (watched intently by our terrifying PE teacher) were completely unjustified as far as I can tell!! I can’t imagine teenage girls being put through that kind of torture now thankfully.

Natsku · 09/03/2020 18:44

I think I vaguely remember verruca checks. We had the doing PE in your vest and pants if you forgot your kit, I remember one girl having to do that in year 6 which is way too old for that!

DD's school still does scoliosis checks but it's not done in front of the rest of the class, individually in private with the nurse.

DjenneJen · 09/03/2020 18:47

I remember DD having them before swimming in the 80s.

Movinghouseatlast · 09/03/2020 18:51

Yes, it happened in my school.

TinnedPearsForPudding · 09/03/2020 18:53

Yep, all the way through 2ndry school in mid nineties