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.

It's a waste of time.
It's unnecessary
"We've always done it" isn't a good reason to do anything

It's totally inappropriate to force a reluctant or uncomfortable child to strip down to their underwear in school.

Our school has seen the light. On pe days they go in pe kit. However, there are 2 PE days and one enrichment day, all in pe kit, and i am now wondering why i bought all the pinafores and shirts.

As well as the privacy issues there is the stuff going missing issue, which at KS1 bothers me more.

The pandemic brought few positives into our lives. This one should be kept

I'd write and say 'my child does not wish to remove his clothes in a classroom, and so will continue to wear his PE kit to school on PE days'.

My dad is in his 50's, he (his mum) forgot to pack his school trunks one day, he was made to sit on the bench in no pants at all.

Did this happen anywhere else? Idk.

I remember kids doing PE in their knickers (i'm 31) in junior school when the uniform was forgotten.

Yeah I think changing at school so young is outdated. Just wear the PE kit in or have suitable spaces to change (in seniors)

It takes away the walk of shame to the second hand PE kit of lost stuff.

7 years old is about the latest I'd think it okay, from year 4 and certainly year 5 some of the girls will be starting to show signs of puberty. That was when DD started wanting privacy to change. DS oblivious to such things till y8 or so.

When I did my teacher training we were told to use PE changing time to look out for any bolidy bruising whixh would be hidden by uniforms

I've not taught Primary for years (I'm in FE now) but think this is still a sensible approach

I'm 36. My parents had to have a word with my junior school as I had boobs by 8 and periods by 9. I was allowed to use the loo to get changed in the end. Would've just been easier if they had boys/girls separate changing areas. It's shocking that primary schools still haven't provided this. Kids are developing at a younger age now. More recently, my cousins 7 year old daughter started her period. They need privacy.

The primary school which my son has just left, have sensibly, in my opinion, allowed children to continue to come dressed in PE kit. They have introduced a smarter, more practical version, complete with hoodie. They also provided the first set, during change over, free of charge.

There are arguments on both sides.

Coming in P.E. kit makes things quicker and means you get the full hour for the lesson rather than changing, which, of course, improves the effectiveness of P.E. lessons. It also increases privacy for the child on an individual level. P.E. kits are also much cooler in during the summer months.

However, changing for P.E. reinforces the idea message that we change for sport, in part, due to the hygiene implications. By the time primary children are in Y5 and Y6, if you aren't having P.E. at the end of the day (and aren't changing), the classroom definitely has a distinct aroma for the later afternoon. P.E. kits might also not be warm enough during winter, particularly if schools end up having to limit heating.

There are also safeguarding implications: one of the messages to come out of many school safeguarding courses is that teaching staff are one of the few people outside of the home that see children in a state of partial dress and so are the most likely people to detect hidden physical abuse.

DD's school has placed a huge emphasis on the pants rule since Reception and regularly reinforces how their underwear is private and not to be shown to others. They place emphasis on sitting properly in their dresses and making sure they do not reveal their knickers.

I would be fuming if they also felt it appropriate to make them take off their clothes and reveal their underwear to the rest of the class on a regular basis. Total contradiction of everything they have just been taught.

Fortunately they still wear PE kit on their PE days and only need to change occasionally such as when photo day falls on PE day. In those cases they separate girls and boys (including Reception).

The sweating argument is void in primary school - they spend their entire lunchbreak running around more than they do in a PE lesson!

The PANTS rule for kids is about keeping their privates private, not about not showing your pants.

It's not a life skill to get changed in front of other people but it is a life skill to be able to dress yourself. You'd be surprised at how many kids are dressed by their parents! P.e clothes and shoes change is a life skill!

@SeeSawDaw they are also told not to show their underpants to others and to keep them covered with their clothes

@prescribingmum Then that's not part of NSPCC PANTS guidelines as I understand them. We do however tell kids how to sit properly when sitting on the carpet, which has nothing to do with sexual abuse.

That’s a total misinterpretation of the PANTS initiative. It teaches that the parts of your body covered by your pants are private and no one should ask to see or touch them without clearly explaining why, eg a doctor or nurse.

It is not there to teach little girls that it is their responsibility to sit modestly and I would be fucking livid if my DD’s school was peddling that kind of victim-blaming nonsense.

‘Properly’. What the fuck.

The school has spectacularly missed the point.

The pants rule is about private parts and has nothing to do with people seeing your pants.

Pretty disappointing that they are giving the message, to girls in particular, that there is something wrong with an everyday item of clothing being seen.

@sponsabillaries said it better than me.

Properly indeed...

My year 6 dd would hate to return to mixed changing on PE days, luckily our school still allows the kids to go in kit in PE day.

People saying it's a life skill it is indeed - one that a parent can teach daily to their kids, those who can't change quickly either have kids with needs (my eldest is asd and struggles) or are the parents can't be bothered.

half of them surely spend their days out of school running about in knickers anyway.

What the fuck???

This is exactly what I was thinking. It’s giving them mixed messages and is totally unnecessary.

All children are precious and should be treated that way!

My daughters school done this pre covid however they now go to school in their p.e kit. They have kept it in place and it saves so much time for me and DD. She is 9 in a couple weeks and starting to go through changes. She won't change in front of me so there's not a chance in hell she would in class either xxx

My DD’s wear navy shorts under their dresses everyday anyway ( like cycling shorts but shorter). They both asked for these as they wanted to do cartwheels and play outside without any one seeing their pants. I think this is fair enough so I bought them several pairs each. They wear body tops as well, which are comfortable. This means that getting changed in front of others is less stressful for them.

it's no longer appropriate. please do write to the appropriate people. some kids will care. and some will also be made fun of. totally unnecessary to see this many people's underwear all at once.

Surely the boys and girls change separately. When I was in primary school about 20 years ago the boys were sent out to change on the toilets and girls changed in the classroom even then.

Also regards to hygiene how is doing 50 minutes of PE any different from them running around at break time and lunchtime. They are hardly doing HIT workouts etc.