Reception children too hot

[lockedinandout]

Name changed but I'm unsure how I feel about it.

I picked up my daughter from school for an appointment and found out they'd stripped down the kids into just their underwear in the classrooms to keep them cool. On the one hand they are only all 4/5 years old in Reception. On the other, it's inappropriate and I think if that's the extent they have to go to keep kids cool in the classroom, they should close.

AIBU to ask the school what's going on? Happy to be told I'm being fussy, because I can't decide whether I think this is ok or not.

So did I in the early 80's. But I was also not allowed to take a jumper off on a day that turned out to be unexpectedly hot because I only had a vest underneath and this was when no-one gave a shit about sunblock (or children staying hydrated).

A group of 5 year olds are in school, in the classroom, In just their knickers?? 🤨 in the uk?
I just can’t believe this??

I don't see a problem with it all.
We used to do p.e in our underwear when we were 5/6.
If it keeps the kids cool then I dont see the problem. They are kids.

I can’t imagine that would be any good at all. If the classroom is really that hot and there are say, no blinds or curtains and the sun is streaming in, wouldn’t they plastic chairs be super hot on bare skin? And couldn’t they be risking sunburn through the glass? No parent would have sun creamed their children’s tummies, backs etc.

Personally I don’t really mind it in theory but I just find it almost impossible to believe that any school in the year 2022 would think this was a good idea.

Why are you all uncomfortable and saying it's inappropriate?

Its adapting to weather? In the child's best interest

Pearl clutching over that, typical mumsnet!

To clarify, I know from a member of the staff that they had their T-shirts off because they explained it to me. My child has also said they had their shorts off too. So whilst I cannot guarantee both happened for sure, I know that they were all topless at the least.

My child did say they were made to put clothes back on to go into the school hall for lunch, and didn't go outside. They've said they were told it's fine in the classroom as that's "their space and no one's looking" (obviously I'm aware being so young there's some misinterpretation possible).

I can see the points around what we used to do in the past, although I'm not a spring chicken anymore and I can't imagine that being allowed when I was in primary school.

Ignoring that the questions about whether or not it's acceptable at their age, I do think it's not ok that they've had to resort to that, and they could have at least asked the parents beforehand or offered an early pick up. It's not like this heat spike has come as a surprise!

It's less of a sitting around in your knickers safeguarding issue for me and more of a, that room is too hot for humans today so they shouldnt be made to sit in it issue.

Not all parents can take time off.... sounds to me like teachers and staff are reacting to a problem for the greater good

They can't really win can they?

DS's school sent a text out explicitly telling parents not to send kids in jumpers today, on the basis that was thought nessercery, a vest wouldn't suprise me.

When I was in primary school I swear we did PE in our underwear. I don’t think I’m making this up, I have really vivid memories of us doing PE in the hall in our little vests and undies. I’m talking reception/year 1 age max so no older than that but yeah, I’m sure that happened.

Probably isn’t appropriate in the present day.

This is awful. I say this as early years staff. Report to OFSTED

tristed adults shouldn’t be asking them to be in just pants. It’s hideous!

Because cotton clothing is cooler than underwear.

Because lots of children don't want to sit around at school in their pants, for all sorts of reasons.

Because if it's that hot, the school should be making other decisions, not getting kids to strip down to their underwear 🙄

If you think it's appropriate, what age does it stop being appropriate? Seven? Eight? Nine? Secondary age?

What are they meant to do?

The Government told them not to shut. Mumsnet have been full of posts claiming teachers only want a day off. Parents are insisting they go to school as they have no childcare.

Teaching staff have repeatedly warned it is too hot to keep many children safe in the classrooms without overheating. They been reporting children fainting, vomiting and having nosebleeds. A lot of teachers have no realistic way of cooling their classrooms. They will be doing what they can to protect the children from heatstroke.

That's not saying I think to strip them down was right or acceptable. But if they school is too hot them the children should not have been there. The poor classroom teacher was probably the last person to have any say on the school being or staying open.

Exactly @rambling

Fast forward 20 years and it may well be a fond school memory , 'remember the time when..'

I agree they shouldn't be in school in those temperatures, but if they are in school and overheating, what are the teachers meant to do? They need to cool them down somehow. Thank goodness my 4yo is at nursery and not school... they have paddling pools and sprinklers in a shady area and I'm sure plenty of kids will be just in their pants, but there will be children of my DC's age, little ones who can't regulate their temperatures, sitting sweltering in overheated classrooms today and tomorrow and potentially becoming ill.

You wanted your kid in school in an extremely hot classroom on the hottest day ever, and the staff have done there best to keep them safe in those conditions.

Of course it's not ok that they've had to resort to that. Do you really think the staff wanted to be in charge of preventing 30 little children getting heat stroke today?

That's completely inappropriate, poor kids. As a teacher, I'd never make that decision in a million years. For many reasons, but mainly because we are supposed to teach children how to keep themselves and their bodies safe, part of that is helping them to understand privacy, what kind of message is that to have them all strip down to their underwear?! It completely contradicts any PSHE curriculum in a UK school.

On a personal note, I still vividly remember having to do PE in my pants in YR because I didn't have my kit with me. I felt so uncomfortable and embarrassed even at that age.

No different to sitting in swimming costumes. I wouldn't mind so long as they weren't made to do it if they didn't want to. I don't think my reception age daughter would want to but if she did I wouldn't mind

So here is today's teacher bashing thread.

A few days ago, on a now deleted and abusive thread, teachers were roundly abused for the schools being closed on safety grounds. Despite the fact it isn't there decision.

Now in a school that listened to the pleas of parents and stayed open teachers get slagged off for trying to keep the DCs safe.

Infants were doing PE in vest and pants well into this century. But let's have another go at teachers, shall we?

*their

I do have sympathy for the position of teachers, and yes, I appreciate that I am fortunate to be able to work from home so in the position to keep them home. I still think though that there are other options between keeping the school open no matter what, and keeping children cool that don't involve stripping kids down to the point of at the very least, being topless, and worst in their underwear.

I did wonder if I was being a bit precious about this, and I can see that opinions are split but as time goes on I think it was less and less acceptable.

I'm also not sure how this can be accused of being a teacher bashing thread? I have nothing but warm regards for my daughters teachers, but surely I can think fondly of teachers whilst saying that I don't think this was ok. Does it have to be one or the other?

So you could have kept your child home, but instead you chose to send her to school and are now complaining about how the teacher tried to keep her safe?