Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to expect school to be ready for games being cancelled in the cold weather?

106 replies

digbies · 05/01/2009 17:00

I've posted this in secondary education as well, but heremay be a better place.

My DD is in her 2nd year at secondary school and has games timetabled every Monday, so she went off this morning with her hockey gear. When I met he this evening I asked if she'd done hockey today, considering that the pitch was probably frozen. Thankfully she said no, but what she told me then shocked and annoyed me.

Apparently the whole class had changed and were redy when the teacher arrived late and tod them they'd be indoors doing gymnastics instead. She got the girls to remove their boots, put on their school shoes and walk to the gym, where they took their shoes off and went into the gym. The teacher then told the girls to take their socks off so they were barefoot, but also to remove their skirts !

Apparently the teacher said that skirts were dangerous in the gym with the apparatus, and wasn't moved by the fact that quite a few girls, my dd included, weren't wearing their gym knickers beneath their skirts. I'm right to be angry about this, aren't I?

OP posts:
Lauriefairyonthetreeeatscake · 05/01/2009 17:02

what are you annoyed about, that some of a single sex group played in their knickers? or did they get extra gym knickers from the pile?

Lauriefairyonthetreeeatscake · 05/01/2009 17:03

and I thought you were supposed to wear your gym knickers underneath your gym skirt - part of the uniform, no?

Original poster
digbies · 05/01/2009 17:04

That DD (and others) were made to do gymnastics in a t-shirt and their knickers.

OP posts:
BlameItOnTheBogey · 05/01/2009 17:05

In a mixed group or not?

Original poster
digbies · 05/01/2009 17:05

Gym knickers are an optiona part of the outdoor uniform

OP posts:
Lauriefairyonthetreeeatscake · 05/01/2009 17:06

I think they should have been wearing their regulation gym knickers under their skirts.

Problem then solved. Your kid went in without her full uniform. She'll know next time.

southeastastra · 05/01/2009 17:06

it's very out of order in secondary imo!

Original poster
digbies · 05/01/2009 17:06

there were some boys there too, but I think only about 5 out of 30-odd.

OP posts:
Lauriefairyonthetreeeatscake · 05/01/2009 17:06

x-posted.

Still no harm in her doing it in her knickers in a single sex group - hope it wasn't a thong

Original poster
digbies · 05/01/2009 17:07

But laurie, gym knickers are optional, not regulation

OP posts:
Lauriefairyonthetreeeatscake · 05/01/2009 17:08

well, yes, that's why I said 'x-posted'.

Original poster
digbies · 05/01/2009 17:08

more x-posts!

it wasn't totally single sex!

OP posts:
BalthazarCandleQueen · 05/01/2009 17:09

Not on at that age in a mixed group.

laweaselmys · 05/01/2009 17:10

Given that this is a secondary school, I don't think it matters if the group was mixed or not. Lots of girls will be sensitive about their appearance and would feel very exposed having to do gymnastics in their pants. I personally would have been very upset to be asked to do that at that age.

If there weren't going to be allowed to wear skirts they should have been told to go and get changed into whatever shorts/tracksuits bottoms they had.

pointydog · 05/01/2009 17:11

we would never have not worn gym knickers under our hockey skirts. They are as short as anything and it's always easy peasy to see what you've got on underneath. I'm surprised at that.

However, girls should not be made to do gym in their knickers. It is very strange that she was made to do so.

Original poster
digbies · 05/01/2009 17:11

certainly not a thong, laurie

OP posts:
oldraver · 05/01/2009 17:13

I can remember my old gym mistress doing this all the time. She would announce we were doing athletics or similar something differen to what we thought, and needed to do it with out skirts off. At least half of us would just have flimsy knickers on and usualy there would be the boys on the other field. My parents did complain and she was stopped from doing it. I think she got some sort of kick out of embarressing us. Gym knickers wernt part of our uniform as we were supposed to do athletics/indoor stuff in leotard

BlameItOnTheBogey · 05/01/2009 17:13

I think not on whether single sex or not - but the degree of outrage I would feel would be tempered if only girls.

What if one of them had their period and was wearing a sanitary towel? Would be visible to all. Really not on.

pointydog · 05/01/2009 17:13

are you sure this happened? A mixed group of 13/14 yr olds with girls only wearing knickers? Are you sure?

Kbear · 05/01/2009 17:14

How is wearing a PE skirt dangerous in gym then? I HATED PE in school and this thread has just reminded me why!

pointydog · 05/01/2009 17:14

It's a 14 yr old boy's fantasy

southeastastra · 05/01/2009 17:15

she had to do in it a thong?!!

Original poster
digbies · 05/01/2009 17:15

I was sceptical when DD told me, but she assures me it was what happened.

OP posts:
laweaselmys · 05/01/2009 17:15

I am quite surprised - I can imagine this kind of thing happening 20 years ago, but now?? You'd think the teacher would know better than to ask that of them. It's obviously going to cause complaints and allegations of unfair treatment.

Original poster
digbies · 05/01/2009 17:16

No, southeastastra, NOT in a thong!

OP posts: