Changing for PE

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My 7 year old son used to wear his PE kit to school on PE days. Now the school has said they want children to change in the classroom again. Parents have complained that their kids don’t want to do this. The head has sent a letter saying that:

”I understand that some parents and children are a little worried about changing into their PE kits in front of their peers. As this is something that we regularly did prior to Covid, we would like to bring back this process as part of a normal school activity.”

Why should children have to get used to changing in front of each other and their teachers? This isn’t a life skill. It is archaic and weird. As an adult I have never had to change with 26 men and women, in a room with many uncovered windows. Would I be wrong to write to the head and complain about this?

YABU: kids should change in front of each other and the teacher
YANBU: it is odd that it was ever allowed even before covid.

If any child of mine told me that they didn't want to take their clothes off in front of other people then they wouldn't be taking their clothes off in front of other people. That would be the end of it.

I'm not teaching my kids about body awareness and their right to privacy for them to be made to get undressed in front of peers/teachers.

Presumably all the dc wil be wearing underwear? Do people never see them in swimwear?

it really does seem mumsnetters live in another world to me

They arnt adults though are they. Honestly I really feel for teachers these days why do parents have to object to everything it must Make their job so difficult having to battle every rule. Just do what the school tell you to do it's not hard. Your child is not that precious

There’s nothing wrong with children in year 2 or 3 getting changed together in their classrooms.

YABU. I'm 28; When I was in primary school we used to get changed in front of each other for PE. I've never heard of going to school in PE Kit. I don't see it being a problem.

I agree. Dc school have kept it in place because it saves so much time getting young kids dressed and undressed. It also seemed to stop the forgotten and lost PE kits.

But OP says some of the children don’t like doing it. Presumably they didn’t like it in your day either but didn’t feel they could speak up.

At that age I don’t think the kids care, more the parents. Even as teenagers the kids need to get changed together, obviously male and female
separate at that age. I’d understand late primary if girls have begun periods I’d want separate changing facilities but at 7 I think parents are making a mountain out of a molehill

From year 3 or 4 the boys and girls were separated to get changed (DD's school have never done the coming in wearing PE kit thing) which is ok but a lot.of the girls now wear bras/crop.tops so feel.self conscious

I've never understood the argument about sitting around in sweaty PE kit. On non-PE days, plenty of kids will work up just as much (if not more) of a sweat running around at break and lunchtime, and nobody worries about that.

It's just practical, isn't it? And as for learning to change for secondary, all the secondaries I've taught at the kids come in changed for PE also! Saves changing time, saves lost property, saves embarrassment (with the exception of thr short skort brigade I suppose), one less set of school uniform needed. Win win. And I seriously doubt most school PE causes more sweating than sitting in a polyester uniform with a blazer on!

Yanbu op

I started my periods in year 5. I think it’s completely inappropriate for girls that age to be forced to change in front of boys.

On the contrary, I know of one very complex case where supervised PE changing was an importance source of evidence that a child was being physically abused. The safeguarding argument is pretty much the only one I accept in favour of preserving in-school changing, with the exception of EYFS where it is an important fine motor skill.

I never felt it was a waste of a PE session. Learning to dress oneself is part of Physical Development and needs to be taught. Sadly not many parents seemed to take that on board and the first couple of weeks in Reception are spent encouraging children to even put their own coats on.

I retired a few years before Covid so it makes no difference to me now. Coming to school in PE kit would certainly make life easier but children need to learn to dress themselves at some point.

I agree, it’s a waste of pe time getting changed. I’d rather they ran about for an extra 10 mins.

There are girls who are wearing bras and have periods in year 5 and 6. Maybe year 4 too? It’s not appropriate to get changed in front of the boys. I think reception and Year 1 is possibly okay but year two upwards definitely not.

We may have done it in the 80s and 90s but it doesn’t mean it was right.

You know that a 7 year old isn't in year 5?

And that schools stop this in year 5 and 6 for this very reason

As a teacher, I prefer children arriving at school in their PE kit. It is so much quicker starting a PE lesson and I'm not left with random clothes in my classroom. However, getting changed is a skill. Many of children don't know how to change because their parents do it for them (I'm in y2 and some still can't do it) and getting changed at school is their only opportunity to practise this skill, despite me asking the parents to let them change themselves at home.

If the kids aren't happy to change in front of each other theu should be listened to not dismissed

Children have no right to privacy? Is that what you mean.

Recognising puberty could be imminent fir sone kids ( year 3 is age 7 amd 8 after all) and providing a more appropriate setting is not sexualising children.

The wearing pe kit to school solved the issues of the infants taking for ever akd losing their stuff. And fir juniors it solved the issue of having to change amongst members of the opposite sex whilst your body was developing.

Its the best idea all round really.

It’s not like Pe is the only time children can learn to put their own clothes on now is it.

Its a waste of everyone’s time teacher and child when they could be doing Pe instead.

both primary’s have kept it in for some reason the secondary changed it but most other secondary’s here kept the come it in Pe kit. Since it’s all logos anyway.

with regards to seeing the children changing help identify abuse would they not just send children in boxer type briefs and a vest under their top. Thus covering just as much nearly as shorts and a top anyway.

I don’t think any child who is uncomfortable getting changed in a public setting should be forced to do so.

We had to go in the showers together after PE at 13. It was awful to fake notes to get out of PE to avoid the shower.