Doing P.E. In just knickers?

[Radley]

DD2 (4) came home and told me that she has done pe for the first time, in just her knickers.

Am I over reacting thinking that this is out of order?

Also, DD1 (7) came home and said that pe today had been running round the field etc in her normal uniform and her trainers, when she has got a tracksuit etc (this was asked for specifically a short while ago)

Sometimes it is great to be a thread killer.. here goes
Any teacher in the state sytem being inspected or monitored during a PE lesson would be expected to have the kids in the right kit. Your underwear is not the right kit.. unless you are a bit wierd at your gym.
If your kids are only wearing pants and vest then question it.. and make sure they don't get skid marks on PE days.

I don't like the idea of 4/5 year olds being treated differently to the rest of the school. The reception class are fully paid-up school children and should be included, not separated, by any sort of behaviour. I despise all segregation.

TNO comments that children who have not reached puberty are not sexual beings. By that argument would she have 15 year old girls who have not started periods and have flat chests doing PE in just pants? I think not.

Personally I think that it is easier to teach children about socially acceptable behaviour from the time they join the school, rather than later. I certainly wouldn't expect a pre-school to ignore my 2yo's hitting & snatching - just because they're innocent little toddlers.

I'm very happy for those who did PE in their underwear and had no problems with it. Good for them. But it doesn't mean they can rubbish other peoples experiences or accuse their DCs of having 'unusual behaviour'.

'What was good enough 30 years ago blah blah'. Oh please! We'd all be giving birth on our backs on a busy ward, hygienically bottle-feeding and not using car seats.

Latest guidance says children should be in PE kit. Teaching respect for self is not just for calming the hysterical fear of paedophiles but learning important life skills - like saying no to pushy boy/girlfriends, and I've read enough threads about that on MN to know that the majority would welcome such confidence in their DCs.

Most reception age children can change clothes themselves. Learning to get changed, hang clothes up etc is just as important as doing star jumps and besides, they're hardly adhering to a strict time-table.

And lastly. Our school hall is bloody cold and we have enough coughs and colds from September until April without encouraging more thankyouverymuch.

fawkesbride.. i take my hat off to you...an eloquent and well balanced post....it was what i tried to get across in my post last night..you have expressed it so much better than i did! i agree with everything you say .... and certainly not a hint of ranting there....

agre ofested woudl nto like ti
sounds like the teachers are idle to me

Thanks fawkesbride. I also agree with lulu, I have been reading with interest but I just could not find the words to put into print.

ditto. Very well said.
It's time consuming, but only a weekly event in reception in this neck of the woods. They even tell us prior to starting school, p/e is on such and such day so try and wear easy clothes, and yes, they were shorts, t shirts and plimsols, if they havent got them, they dont do PE.

I think my dds would be embarrassed in their underwear, on the other hand, if they were all in the same boat, on the other hand in their school they have to go outside to go to the hall, so, underwear not a good idea

ditto. Very well said.
It's time consuming, but only a weekly event in reception in this neck of the woods. They even tell us prior to starting school, p/e is on such and such day so try and wear easy clothes, and yes, they were shorts, t shirts and plimsols, if they havent got them, they dont do PE.

I think my dds would be embarrassed in their underwear, on the other hand, if they were all in the same boat, on the other hand in their school they have to go outside to go to the hall, so, underwear not a good idea

here my ds has pe usually 1 a week and we're asked just to dress them in comfy clothes eg tracksuit bottoms. They have no uniform, and do pe in the clothjes they get sent in. If they're wearing sthing too restrictive, they do the pe in pants.

FawkesBride, that is so well put. I totally agree, it is what I was trying to say about older children noticing and laughing. And it is important to send a message to children that you don't have to take your clothes off if you don't want to, just as much as it is to be relaxed about our bodies and not feel ashamed of them.

Dd1's lovely teacher gives the girls lessons on how to turn their tights the right way, shake them out and then put them on!

It would seem though, that the "not in their knickers" brigade, have very different ideas about what is socially acceptable to the majority.
I would argue that it is absolutley socially acceptable for a child up to about 6 or 7 to be seen naked in public (at the beach for example - not walking down the street).
So the idea that children need to have adult social restrictions imposed on them before they naturally develop a sense of reserve seems very sad.
There is nothing nicer than running around in the nuddy or skinny-dipping, so why take that away from them before we have to!?

I have already said that I find nudity on a beach totally fine, or on holiday, or in the park - anywhere informal - so long as it is the child's choice. It's totally different to have this imposed by the school as some children will find it uncomfortable.

i thoguth learngin to dress is in istelf somthign t hey refine in reception

i guess the question is why a four year old would find it uncomfortable to be in vest and knickers along with all their classmates isn't it?

the only htong i think is odd
is WHY dont they let them wear hte clothes
a dnthat its a thorough fare fro older kids

I personally have absolutly no problem with nudity at all. As a child I was always nude on the beach on holiday. My mum was always topless, which I did find abit as I got to a certain age. Ds is only 14months and not potty trained so its swimmer nappys for him, but when he's older im sure he'll be naked on the beach.
I just find doing PE in undies pointless and inapropriate. Theres plenty of other occasions ds can run around in his undies or naked but I really really dont think school is the right place.

I'll stick my head above the parapet and give my opinion! My daughter is required to do this at school, and I have no problem with it. She is young enough not to be concerned, I trust the school staff and the gym is warm enough not to cause problems. Way back when I was at school (pre-prep and prep with boys, 11+ all-girls) we all did PE in our knickers until 11, when we were allowed gym knickers and white vests. Even then though if we didn't have our kit, it was underwear knickers. Some of us even had to run cross country in our knickers, spare vests and bare feet, when we didn't have our kit!

Cross country in knickers and bare feet . So pleased that the schools have moved on from that.

I have read this whole thread with interest - it took ages mind you! I teach a Y1 and y2 class in an infant school and it is our school policy for children to wear pants (and vest) for PE. It is nothing to do with teachers being idle, the children change for outdoor PE. The reason we ask for only vest and pants is partly to do with a directive issued by our LEA (Derbyshire) some years ago regarding children doing gymnastics on apparatus. Many schools had seen accidents where children had got clothes tangled round apparatus or caught on it and it had caused quite serious accidents. It was recommended that children wear the minimum clothing. This is probably no longer the case but we still do it. We very rarely get any parents questioning it and I've never had a child who's been remotely embarassed or ashamed. It is normal for them, they've always done it and are all doing it anyway. With regards to Ofsted, when we were inspected we were praised highly for a PE provision and not one mention was made of the attire of the children! I think a lot of these arguments are ridiculous. Occasionally we have parents who ask that their child be allowed to wear shorts and we always say yes if they're really that bothered. To be honest it worries us more why any parent would have a problem with their child wearing pants in front of their friends and a teacher. In my time as a teacher i have only had three parents question it - the first becasue her child was scarred from skin grafts, the second because her child was abused at a young age by a family member and the thrid becasue she 'didn't like it'. All three children wore shorts but soon got fed up of putting them on and being different and reverted to the original attire. As for the issue of being cold, if the teacher is teaching the PE curriculum correctly, children should be physically active continuously throughout the lesson and therefore cannot get cold!

Can anyone tell me if schools in Scotland allow children to do PE in their pants and vest.

I'm amazed that I was not aware that this happens in schools. I would not allow my dcs to do PE in just their underwear.

Ink, I went through primary in Scotland and both DH and I are teachers (I'm not teaching at the moment but was until about 18 months ago). Have NEVER heard of this until now!

What a freaky thread. I actually dont know what to say - children arent self conscious about what they are wearing or what they look like until adults make them that way. Look at how happy children are to play naked on the beach. How many reports of children being abused on the beach are there? You dont have to have a CRB check to walk on the beach, but you do to be a teacher, male or female. My local swimming pool wont let people take photos of their children in the pool in case they accidentlly take a pic of another child - but they have floor to ceiling windows that often have men with their noses pressed to them.

Incidentally I had to do practical anatomy classes in bra and knickers at college; we couldnt be bothered to get dressed again afterwards so we just put airtex shirts on top in between classes. Now why did I feel the need to post this?

Is there any link between current paranoia about young childrens bodies, and the fact that by the time they are old enough to hit nightclubs they will be wanting to wear the least possible clothing and most certainly will not be concerned about feeling the cold. I am sooooooo glad i am not of clubbing age anymore - I think its most unfair that blokes get to wear clothes and girls only seem to wear underwear. When I look back on the good old days we look positively wrapped up.

Sorry, starting to rant - and get off track - like I say this thread freaked me out......

Gillian76 Thanks for that. I honestly was beginning to wonder if I had missed something here.

We all did PE in our pants and vests at infant school in England. We had big navy ones like shorts. Very modest! Nobody cared or stared. We enjoyed PE. After all, the children go swimming together too.

Not a problem unless your DD sees it as one. We did it. I must admit my kids don't but when they were first in school they wouldn't have cared. DS#1 is 9 now and would be embarrassed but not then. Little children shouldn't have a problem with nudity and unless there is a concern about a teacher having paedophile tendencies (and if there is that is a totally seperate and much more worrying issue) or the gym being cold, I can't see why it matters.

Yes children should learn to respect themselves but can't see how teaching them to be embarrassed about their bodies acheives that.

"Cross country in knickers and bare feet . So pleased that the schools have moved on from that."

If only they'd moved on before I was there! You went slipping and sliding everywhere because your feet couldn't get a grip in the mud. Afterwards you coud either wear your wet and muddy knickers under your skirt, or take them off for the rest of the day. Nice choice!