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Original poster

Stripping down to pants and vest at school - strange??

71 replies

tex111 · 01/07/2005 09:37

I visited a preschool for DS yesterday and really loved it aside from one comment that's been playing on my mind. The children have various extra classes in the week and on Thursdays they have dance for which they strip down to their pants and vests. That just seemed odd to me. I don't think it really means anything but I'm not very comfortable with it.

Is this strange or am I just being silly? I could changed DS's days so that he has music rather than dance (and keeps his clothes on) but DH thinks I'm overreacting. I would really appreciate hearing your opinions.

OP posts:
Byn · 01/07/2005 13:21

When my partner told me about doing PE in his pants at age 10 when he forgot his kit I was horrified!!! I work at a school and honestly can't imagine opening yourself up to more trouble than having boys and girls together in their underclothes past age 4 or 5. Is there a reason they don't do dance in their regular clothes? I don't see the point to stripping them down...

franch · 01/07/2005 13:32

Sounds normal to me - maybe a little oldfashioned but certainly in the 70s we used to strip down for PE (girls' school) - you had to make sure you were wearing your 'gym knickers' on PE days - plus an aertex polo shirt or whatever. I think this went on for most of primary school IIRC.

TinyGang · 01/07/2005 13:55

I suppose it's so they can move about freely. Getting changed into a pe kit would be an extra faff at this age. It's true it would just be pants only at the minute now though for mine - too warm for vests now! I wouldn't mind for this age group, as long as it was inside the school.

I can see why you might think it's a bit odd though - it takes someone from a different country sometimes to point out anothers strange quirks at times, but as you can see from this thread, we've all been doing this for years at school here (I did it too!)

FIMAC1 · 01/07/2005 16:06

My children did PE in Reception in pants and vest too - apparently quite a few of them were unable (or unwilling!) to dress themselves - so it made it easier all round the fact they did not have to put on their PE kit - if it is a Pre-school with links to ds school, maybe they are mirroring what will happen when he goes into Reception there?

FIMAC1 · 01/07/2005 16:08

PS we came back from the States just as Ds was about to start Reception and I was shocked too at first! Some of the other Mums explained why which made it easier to handle - some of the American prudity about this must have rubbed off on me while we were living there

mumeeee · 01/07/2005 20:42

Very comman for young children. All three of my daughters did this in Reception.

jennifersofia · 02/07/2005 00:02

tex111 - I am American myself, and also thought it rather odd when I first came here. However, I have now worked in 5 schools, and this is the practice in every one of them. As people have pointed out - it would take the whole lesson for them to change out of, change into, then change out of and change into again, IFYSWIM. The children (esp. in younger years) seem mostly fine about it. HTH.

fsmail · 02/07/2005 10:53

One of my friends is a primary school teacher and on the first PE lesson she asked them all to get changed and some of the boys just stripped off completely and therefore the first lesson became a lesson in how to get their gym clothes on so I can understand the vest and pants thing. At that age it would be perfectly natural. I seem to remember doing the same thing when I was at school. It's nice to keep the innocence in a way.

lccl · 23/09/2005 16:36

My twins do this in their reception year class. What surprised me more was that the Yr6 class does it as well! I was going into the school and saw a Yr6 gym class going on in the hall, and they were all intheir knickers. No vests in sight. I queried this with the school secretary, who said that the whole school dresses thus, and that vests or bras are not allowed

fimac1 · 23/09/2005 17:05

Lccl

You are kidding - right?

I would be up the school if my dd was doing PE at age 10-11 in undies -

Fine for reception - not fine for year 6!

fimac1 · 23/09/2005 17:07

Re-read this and if true should be reported to the LEA

Most of dd year wear bras and would not be doing PE in knickers

This IS a Troll isn't it lccl

WigWamBam · 23/09/2005 17:13

I don't believe that year 6 would be expected to do gym in their knickers and nothing else - girls of that age are starting their periods and needing to wear bras, in just their knickers? Can't see it. If it's true then it's abhorent and should be reported - I can't imagine any child of that age, or any parent, putting up with it though.

fimac1 · 23/09/2005 17:14

WWB

Agree - must be a TROLL

spidermama · 23/09/2005 17:15

I'm not uncomfortable at all with it.

MascaraOHara · 23/09/2005 17:16

Is year 6 age 10? Can't believe that's true - I started my periods aged 10.

WigWamBam · 23/09/2005 17:17

I'm not uncomfortable with my 4 year old in Reception doing it. I'd be uncomfortable with her doing that when she was 10 though - I was having periods and had breasts by the time I was 10 and it would have mortified me to have been stripped down to my knickers to do PE in front of the boys.

AuntyQuated · 23/09/2005 17:17

that is Iccl's one and only post!!!!

colditz · 23/09/2005 17:23

I think this is a lie.

11 year old girls who where bras would rather be expelled for disobediance than go topless. I don't think an 11 year old girl on this planet would strip he top in front of boys that age.

colditz · 23/09/2005 17:24

SM, you must be joking, I was B cup at age 11, wouldyou want your daughters breasts exposed to boys and teachers?

spidermama · 23/09/2005 17:26

Sorry I meant I see nothing wrong with pre-schoolers wearing vest and pants.
Year sixers!!!! That's a different matter. That's the stuff of nightmares IMHO.

colditz · 23/09/2005 17:28

yes agree preschoolers are fine.

WigWamBam · 23/09/2005 17:29

The only problem I have with my dd having to do PE in her vest and pants is getting her to wear a vest! She hasn't worn a vest since she was 2 and doesn't really want to wear one.

bonym · 23/09/2005 17:31

It was what we did when I was at infant school, and when dd1 was in infants (only last year), anyone who forgot pe kit did this too. I don't see any problem with it at this age.

Hulababy · 23/09/2005 17:47

We used to do PE in pants and vest in first school too - change out of clothes in the classroom, then walk down corridor to PE hall.

DD's nursery does some activities in just pants or pants/vest - water play in the summer, etc.

hatstand · 23/09/2005 17:52

we had big brown gym knickers - right up until about 14. the stupid thing was that you were allowed to wear a gym skirt if it was your period. for some reason they thought that putting a big sign on you saying "I'M HAVING A PERIOD" would lessen any embarrasment. still haven't fathomed that one one out