Page 3 | Reception children too hot

lockedinandout · 2022-07-18T13:35:09+00:00

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.

RedWingBoots · 18/07/2022 15:27

GreenManalishi · 18/07/2022 15:02

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.

I agree with you.

They should have all been sent home.

IGotItInTheSales · 18/07/2022 15:28

Parents don't all work around the corner or would be able to down tools to collect kids you know!!!

IGotItInTheSales · 18/07/2022 15:29

And tomorrow as well?

Lacedwithgrace · 18/07/2022 15:29

BurscoughBooths · 18/07/2022 14:41

We did PE in vest and pants at primary school in the 1960s and nobody batted an eye.
I think we were allowed shorts in the equivalent of years 5 & 6

Yeah we've all moved on from that considering it was 60 years ago.

LuckyLil · 18/07/2022 15:30

ComDummings · 18/07/2022 14:38

Yeah they should have sent them home. I don’t think it’s acceptable to treat a child like that. My own children at that age would not have wanted to be in underwear in public.

It wasn't in public?

maddiemookins16mum · 18/07/2022 15:31

Sending them home would have meant getting parents from their work to collect them. Not that easy.

catandcoffee · 18/07/2022 15:32

I remember from the age of 5 to 11.
we used to do Pe in navy knickers and vest only...both sexes.
This was a London school and normal back then.

RedWingBoots · 18/07/2022 15:32

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.

If there was don't you think the teacher would have tried it?

Why didn't you keep your child at home if you WFH?

I hope all head teachers who read this thread close classes. Screw the parents who don't work from home and in essential services.

RedWingBoots · 18/07/2022 15:33

catandcoffee · 18/07/2022 15:32

I remember from the age of 5 to 11.
we used to do Pe in navy knickers and vest only...both sexes.
This was a London school and normal back then.

We stopped at aged 7/8 when we were in junior school.

Hotdrysunny · 18/07/2022 15:33

Teachers are not stuck between a rock and a hard place at all with regard to this. Teachers should not be getting children to sit around in their pants. And I am a teacher.

BustopherPonsonbyJones · 18/07/2022 15:33

lockedinandout · 18/07/2022 15:24

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.

It isn’t right but you could have kept your child at home as you knew it was going to be very hot and you are working from home. Therefore, in my opinion, you are equally at fault as you passed the buck. There’s very few fans and air con units in schools and classrooms are small and packed full of warm bodies.

Don’t send them in tomorrow as it’s even hotter. Send an email stating that you don’t think children sitting in their underwear is appropriate if they query why your child is absent.

ThreeLittleDots · 18/07/2022 15:34

My DC's reception cohort were a mad bunch and I can see how they would all have happily decided to take their clothes off of their own volition.

However the teacher would (I hope) have prevented it and certainly not come up with the idea!

SNAFU247 · 18/07/2022 15:34

I don't think its okay and whilst I don't think its horrendous given how young they are, I wouldn't be happy with it for my child. However, as mentioned above, schools have been told not to shut explicitly. Most of us are aware of the fact schools will be far, far too warm for those youngest of pupils today so what are the teachers supposed to do?

DSis school (primary) don't even have a fan. She asked to bring one in from home for her class but isn't allowed because any electrical equipment in school needs to have been through electrical testing as part of the schools insurance policy. So she's got 31 Year 3/4 children, 1 TA and herself sweating it out in a classroom without any fans, which has 2 walls made from glass windows that only open a fraction (1st floor). Her classroom is regularly far hotter than outside temps (incidentally, also bloody freezing in winter!) She asked the kids to bring flannels etc. to use as damp scarves during the day, but that's all they can do.

It's 37 degrees here and still climbing...

Original poster

lockedinandout · 18/07/2022 15:34

@R1408 I could have done, and strongly considered it, but was assured there would be appropriate measures (that did not include stripping kids off. I expect like most parents we were given the copy and paste government guidelines) and warned under no uncertain terms that to keep them off would be an unauthorised absence.

Had the guidance from the school been "by the way, we might strip down children to their underwear", I could have made an informed choice as a parent, as could others.

I'm sorry if you feel teachers get a particularly hard time on here (and for the most part I happen to agree), but if you change the ages of the children involved to adults, in a work environment, who would have even more bodily autonomy of themselves, I think we would agree that keeping a work place open by making people strip to underwear wouldn't be ok. Teachers, just like everyone else, are capable of making the wrong choice sometimes, and when that happens, it's not unfair to hold them to account.

OP posts:

HuffleWoof · 18/07/2022 15:34

Teachers can't win can they? Hundreds of posts over the weekend how 'it's only Summer' you worked from home today and could her had her off. You sent her in. They struggled (as everyone predicted they would) and you're upset they did what they could bar ringing parents to pick their kids up because of the constant complaining from parents about how they should keep the schools open.

FunDragon · 18/07/2022 15:34

maddiemookins16mum · 18/07/2022 15:31

Sending them home would have meant getting parents from their work to collect them. Not that easy.

Yes - and lots of doctors, nurses, firefighters, paramedics, etc have school age children!

aperolsprite · 18/07/2022 15:35

meh. My 5/6/7 year olds would all play on the beach in just pants/bikini bottoms.

I trust the teachers to do what they felt was right for the ( unprecedented) situation.

The only thing that would bother me would be if a child didn't want to and was pressured.

BustopherPonsonbyJones · 18/07/2022 15:35

maddiemookins16mum · 18/07/2022 15:31

Sending them home would have meant getting parents from their work to collect them. Not that easy.

What’s the solution then?

R1408 · 18/07/2022 15:35

Hotdrysunny · 18/07/2022 15:33

Teachers are not stuck between a rock and a hard place at all with regard to this. Teachers should not be getting children to sit around in their pants. And I am a teacher.

Teachers have to keep small children in very hot classrooms and stop them getting heat stroke. First priority is keeping them safe and cool as possible.
The teacher did what they thought was best in a very challenging situation.

Hotdrysunny · 18/07/2022 15:37

But you do not do that by getting them to remove their clothing.

The blame here lies with SLT for keeping the school open but it is wrong to act as if this is an OK thing to do; it isn’t.

R1408 · 18/07/2022 15:38

lockedinandout · 18/07/2022 15:34

@R1408 I could have done, and strongly considered it, but was assured there would be appropriate measures (that did not include stripping kids off. I expect like most parents we were given the copy and paste government guidelines) and warned under no uncertain terms that to keep them off would be an unauthorised absence.

Had the guidance from the school been "by the way, we might strip down children to their underwear", I could have made an informed choice as a parent, as could others.

I'm sorry if you feel teachers get a particularly hard time on here (and for the most part I happen to agree), but if you change the ages of the children involved to adults, in a work environment, who would have even more bodily autonomy of themselves, I think we would agree that keeping a work place open by making people strip to underwear wouldn't be ok. Teachers, just like everyone else, are capable of making the wrong choice sometimes, and when that happens, it's not unfair to hold them to account.

Assume you'll be keeping your child home tomorrow then?

Classicblunder · 18/07/2022 15:40

lockedinandout · 18/07/2022 15:26

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?

I genuinely think you could start a thread on any subject and get someone claiming it's "teacher bashing"

BungleandGeorge · 18/07/2022 15:40

I doubt they were forced to strip off? I wouldn’t really have an issue with it personally. They all
have to
get changed in front of each other, wear swimsuits etc.

Turnthatoff · 18/07/2022 15:40

It was hot, the children were there. It wasn’t practical to send them all home.

what else should they have done?

FatAgainItsLettuceTime · 18/07/2022 15:43

I got called in by the teacher 3 years ago when DD was in reception because she had unzipped the top couple of inches of her summer dress to show a friend a scratch she'd got and they were concerned about the inappropriate 'undressing' so I would definitely be less than impressed if they had them wandering about in their undies.