AIBU school uniform

[Ijustdontknowwhattodo1018]

Am I being unreasonable to refuse to buy new shorts?

The school uniform states plain Black shorts for PE but the teachers have been commenting on my child’s shorts and telling them they are not appropriate.
They are proper ‘sports’ shorts and not that it matters but they are not cheap, they’re good quality, good fit, they don’t fall down etc.
I just don’t see what the problem is and what infuriates me is that they keep telling a 4 year old rather than telling me why there is a problem…after all, it is me who is buying the uniform and not my child.

Also, are we not supposed to be building children up, not making them feel self conscious?

Yeah, the shops don’t give a shit. They will stock what they can sell.

Schools don’t need to be single supplier to solve the problem- plain black shorts, should be loose fitting and to the knee- would mean most kids wore suitable shorts and the school would have a basis for telling parents that hot pants aren’t acceptable

I agree with you. I hate single supplier uniforms.

I think I'm jaded from seeing the lengths some parents will go to to feel they've won with the school.

Common sense says your description would be perfectly fine, but experience tells me some parents will still buy shorts not in that description and then come to school arguing and claim that their children is being body shamed/sexualised/humiliated by being given appropriate kit. Some parents will even tell their child to refuse to do the detention, then when it escalates to internal isolation for repeatedly refusing to follow school rules, the parents will claim their child has been put in isolation for no reason and then make some noises about the school not caring about their child's education because they're just a pair of shorts.

I didn't appreciate that some parents were this obsessed with picking a fight until I worked in schools. It would make normal reasonable parents weep.

@LolaSmiles some people are always going to cause an argument because they enjoy the drama or need to feel special or important- I don’t think you can totally eliminate that.

Most people when given a clear instruction about uniform will just follow it… giving vague instructions is inviting more hassle!

Can't tell from photo but are they skin tight? School PE shorts are usually the loose football type.

@LolaSmilessome people are always going to cause an argument because they enjoy the drama or need to feel special or important- I don’t think you can totally eliminate that.

Most people when given a clear instruction about uniform will just follow it… giving vague instructions is inviting more hassle
I agree, you're right. The vague instructions don't help.

How do some people read 'PE' from 'cycling'? Clearly PE, rugby, football shorts are appropriate as they do these things. They are also similar shorts though some striped some not, some cotton, they are all loose on the leg. Cycling is a one off bikeability course in year 6, cycling shorts would be appropriate there.

Because I've worked in schools for years and know it's what most little girls wear. To me, black cotton cycling shirts are completely appropriate and normal school PE attire. I doubt half the people commenting have been in a primary PE session this century.

No, no, no @TempestuousBehaviour. We are talking about a specific person, the Op, who claims to not know what the school meant. We’ve all explained it to her. Which didn’t really need to be explained.

And then the refrain, ‘I don’t understand! Why is the school correcting me, I bought Plain Black Shorts (I bought my little boy girl’s shorts that are very short and tight like hot pants Donna Summer would wear in the disco 70s hee hee!!) I don’t understand😢 how dare they 😡’

’What are PE shorts? Never heard of them? What is PE? Where am I?’

The Op is being obtuse on purpose. We all know it. You know it too. Some of us are just saying it out loud.

Ds was born 2006, they were never allowed to wear cycling shorts at school.

DD wars cycling shorts. They have to be mid thigh length but they are allowed along with leggings, joggers, skorts, and football shorts. Preferably black, but they are happy with navy or grey.

I’ve taught in Primary Schools for 20 years, these type of shorts are not PE Shorts and would not be acceptable in any of the schools I’ve worked in.

Looking at them shorts they look far to short and won’t fit tight that absolutely wouldn’t of been allowed in my children’s primary school buy your child the correct uniform. Also actually speak to the staff instead of your poor child

I actually can’t believe you’ve posted about this here. I can barely believe I’m taking the time to comment. Ask the teacher for clarification. Problem solved. I love a bit of mumsnet as much as the next person, but this post I simply don’t get. Why wouldn’t you just ask the school? Truly I don’t understand.

Because she knows exactly what the problem is, her child has been told by the teacher, but she doesn't want to say it here because everyone agrees with the school.

If its a group communication, OP, your child has not been named, and the description does not match what your child is wearing then how on earth do you know it refers to you so specifically that its outing?

FWIW, when you said "sports shorts" I pictured loose fitting, shiny, black shorts that come to about the knee. What you have looks maybe more like dance shorts which are not the same.

If the teacher has had time to talk to you then you've had a chance to ask the teacher too so.... Just do it.

If girls are wearing them and the OP has a DS, they are acceptable, the teachers are being sexist. These type of cycling shorts are acceptable at my DD school and many locally and just because one school doesn't accept them, doesn't mean the rest of us are lying.
If the school wants NO cycling shorts they need to specify.
I wore what my parents felt like for primary PE (no uniform) and navy blue passion killers and mini gym skirts for secondary PE so I'd have no idea what "PE shorts" meant as I've had no other contact with school PE till my DCs started primary school. It's not something that's imbued with mothers' milk in all UK citizens.

Wrong. It’s not sexist, how foolish. Boys’ shorts are designed and anatomically made to fit a male body’s private parts, as girl shorts are designed and made to fit a female’s body parts. To put very tight fitting girls’ shorts on a boy is to constrict that area of his body. It doesn’t make sense. It makes sense only to a demented person.

Why would any parent insist on doing that? To a 4 year old? I wonder why….

The type linked by the OP or general black soft cycling shorts, that M&S sells thousands of two packs of every summer in their back to school shop? Frankly I've never worked in a school that's even got close to specifying what sort of shorts primary children should wear. Having kit on the right day, in roughly the right colour is a win.

In primary DD had cycling shorts for pe, the ones in all the supermarkets in a 2 pack, no issues.
DS had open 'floaty' football type shorts again the ones all the supermarkets have in a 2 pack.
The ops maybe a little short but not sure why everyone is saying it's not cycling shorts for pe, definitely was where we lived (2 locations so not a local thing)

You’ve sent your son to do PE in hot pants. Loose football style shorts are about £3 in supermarkets.
Do him a favour and get him some.

I've read the post and my first thoughts were 'are they booty shorts?' I've now seen the pic and would say they are. On a 4 year old no problem but on an older teen these can be perceived as a bit provocative. Many schools ban lycra 'legging style' trousers for a similar reason.
However....unless you actually speak with someone youll never know what the objection is. Email in and ask.
Asking us is futile.

I've read through all of the OPs posts twice now and no where is the Sex of her child indicated so why is everyone assuming that the OPs child is a boy being sent in wearing girls shorts?

Some of the posters on here are carrying on as though the op is sending her kid (no evidence that it’s a boy btw) in with leather hotpants, but the shorts in the pic look like perfectly ordinary cycling-type shorts, which are close-fitting, yes, but designed to be stretchy and comfortable - and, indeed, worn for sport!

Op, I agree that the teacher should be raising the issue with you rather than the child at this age, but the obvious solution is surely to ask the teacher yourself what the problem is?

The most pathetic thread I’ve ever seen on here, grow up OP and buy your kid some proper PE shorts, not hot pants.

It might be that the op bought a boy ‘girls’ shorts and that’s the issue the school is taking (and they would be fine with a girl wearing those shorts)- if that’s the case the school are being dick heads- I don’t believe that certain types of clothing need to be reserved for different sexes. All children can wear all clothes!

Im not going to repeat my point that these are widely accepted as p.e shorts etc.

They also do gymnastics, dance and yoga (they do here anyway), and these look like gymnastics/dance/yoga shorts.