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

[digbies]

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?

I seem to be turning into a whinging mum, but today DD cam home and announced that her PE teacher sent them all on a CROSS COUNTRY RUN! Has she not noticed the snow, slush and ice out there? Does this woman never learn?!

Digbies ... if it wasnt for the fact that hopefully my gym mistress is rotting residing in an old folks home I would say its th eexact one. Do they have to pass a test on how to be mean and degrading to their charges

Katiestar... our gym mistress did certainly take what is now an obvious liking to perving watching us girls naked at all opportunties. We HAD to shower by her method which was to hold our towel above our heads in both hands, then stand in front of her while she marked us of in the register. The whole process was unnecassary and frankly unhealthy. If we cited a period she would check in her register and announce loudly "but you had one 3 weeks ago". We would have to go to the toilets strip to the waist and wash our underarms while she watched....And ahe wondered why I avoided games

The bloody woman! Not only was it snowy and icey, she made the irls run through some woods where the snow had thawed on already sodden ground. I've just unpacked DD's games kit, and her socks and shoes are totally soaked with mud. There's no way they'll come white again. I asked DD how it was, and she said they had to run in mud that was mid-calf deep!

Digbies - my PE mistress obviously came from the same training college. They're blardy sadists the lot of them. I have dreadful memories of being made to run around the hockey pitch in freezing cold weather in nothing but gym knickers and a T shirt. I hated Games at school!

dd was in gym knickers and a vest!

I'm sorry, I have just read through this and it is a complete load of rubbish. No school in the land would force a 12-year-old girl to wear her underwear in a p.e lesson or they would be closed down by the inspectors. I suspect the originator of this 'debate' is a single adult man with a worrying fantasy/fetish who gets turned on by comments about young girls in gym knickers and bare feet. OK, if you're not then name the school and let's see if it (and you) are for real .

What an utterly odd reply

Pat, thanks for your post. Apart from the fact that inspectors (OFSTED?) can't close a school, I certainly won't be naming DD's school. For all I know, YOU could be a "single adult man with a worrying fantasy/fetish". I'm sure you'll understand that I am not prepared to disclose personal information such as this is a public forum.

A quick update, which hopefully Pat2009 won't get upset by.

DD2 starts at the school this term, and DD1 is still there. The archaic indoor PE kit has finally been phased out, and the girls now wear lycra shorts and a plain white t-shirt! The 21st Century has arrived! The school has requested this for cross country as well, and I'm a bit worried that it'll get covered in mud, but I'm delighted that gym knickers have been consigned to the history books. DD2 gets her kit when she starts, supplied by the school!

Did you ever write the letter to the school?

I did. I got something back that was suitably sympathetic, stating that the headmistress "hoped" something like this wouldn't happen again. To be fair, to date it hasn't.

Daft isn't it - there's no need to 'hope' - just tell the staff it is unacceptable - end of....

Oh well, at least now they have a decent PE kit - just make sure she doesn't forget it!!

Well that would need the head to see herself as the boss! Not the "leader" of "mntor" of her staff!

I'm sure DD1 won't forget her kit! But DD2 isn't the best at remembering things, so we'll have to see what happens with her.

Ah well, DD2 can't say she wasn't warned if she ends up doing PE, with the boys, in her knickers!

Well DD 2 is off for her first day today! The school's supplying the gym kit, so she should have it in her hands by now - I just hope she's not yet managed to "misplace" it!

Just re-read my last post - I mean off to school, not off school sick.

It seemed odd to me that the school's supplying the kit - does this happen at other Mumsnetters' children's schools?

Oh no, the school has "experienced problems with our suppliers" which has meant that there's no kit yet. On DD2's first day her form were all taken to the gym for "familiarisation" where they took off blazers, ties, sweaters, tights and shoes, but thankfully they kept their skirts on! DD2 tells me that they did some running jumping, height and weight measurements etc, and got to try the gymnastics apparatus (just climbing on the beam, horse etc, rather than using it properly).

For her first lesson yesterday the girls were requested to bring "appropriate kit" with them. I sent DD2 with a t-shirt and her sister's old gym knicks - she seemed fine with them, but I hope the proper kit arrives soon!

My DD's insist that she wears uniform kit, but doesn't supply it. We have to buy it from the school shop. One t.shirt and a pair of shorts cost me 35 euros. She is tiny too, nine years old. Goodness knows how much the senior stuff costs.

didnt read the date on this when i read the op was just about to type where the hell do you lie to have frozen pitch in september!

{slaps oneself} keep up dusty!

The school supplies the new kit, but the parents pay. So far they've had the cheque but we've not had the goods!

We always did indoor PE in our school knickers - regulation thick navy cotton, worn under winter and summer uniform, regardless. Plus an Aertex shirt.

It was a long time ago though.

I had ever-so tasteful gym knickers and a lovely, paper thin white vest! That was archaic when I was at school though!

Pat, this sounds very similar to what we used to have to do at school, not unusual (although it was a fair while ago when I was at school).

Oldraver - I can't believe another PE teacher kept a period diary as well. You never know, we may have been at the same secondary school.

Digbies, I'm so pleased that you're worried about this and have complained. I would have been so grateful if you were my mother. I hated PE at school. Showering naked, period registers, skimpy shorts or knickers. I once tried to break my arm in order to get out of running around the field in front of the boys in my knickers. My mum never complained.

I fully support the school in making sure the girls do plenty of support, and not letting them off with flimsy excuses! But gym in your knickers is not really on. I think DD2 is happier about gym knickers than DD1 - but then they're only a short-term fix for her.

It'll be interesting to see what happens when the PE teacher in question takes DD2's class and somone doens't hae the right kit. have her attitudes really changed?