Gymnastics - is it normal for parents not to be allowed to watch lessons?

57 replies

redglobox · 10/02/2023 14:48

My child's gymnastics club only allows parents to watch for 15/30 minutes every couple of months. Is that normal? They have an area that would make a great viewing area so that's not the issue.

OP posts:

itsgettingweird · 06/04/2023 15:03

Around here it's dependent on the sports centre set up.

Those in school sports halls are closed practice.
Those in warehouse type places are closed practice.
Those in leisure centres with public spectator areas can be watched.
Those in the gymnastics centres often have large areas you can watch from too.

Same with swimming lessons/clubs.

In fact ime it's only ever dance classes where I've seen a hard and fast rule the parents don't watch!

randomsabreuse · 06/04/2023 15:09

My kids go somewhere with a gallery. Only time no parental access was in Covid. Kids do get a bit distracted if they can see parents though - so we can't lean over the balcony! My DD is generally better behaved if she can't see me!

Elnetthairnet · 06/04/2023 15:16

My child’s gym club allows parents to watch from a balcony. They have a very successful elite squad. Having parents there helps to protect the coaches from allegations of abuse as well as protect children from abuse, and engaged parents help their children train and perform better. It’s BG policy that parents should be able to observe classes.

2Bornot · 06/04/2023 15:46

Mark19735 · 10/02/2023 16:55

It's normal. It's also important the children learn to dig deep and train hard for themselves, without drawing on parental support or approval. For this, they need independence from their parents and the punishments/rewards regime they know in their home life.

There's plenty of competitions and open days where watching is encouraged during the year. Often, the real beef isn't that parent's can never watch, it's that they can't watch on their terms, at a time of their choosing, without the consent of the coaches. That's about their power relationship with the coaches, not the coaches' relationship with the child. No-one seems to mind that they can't just walk into any school classroom whenever it suits them and observe a lesson. Why should it be any different at a sports club?

Because gymnastics teachers need to touch little girls, often on the legs to support then, while the children wear very little? Because cases of sexual abuse in gymnastics are sky high? Because school teachers are highly trained and highly vetted and gymnastics teachers are not?

History shows us that there are a lot of paedophiles involved in teaching extracurricular activities and as a parent I don’t know which ones they are so I need to keep an eye on the lot of them.

The sex abuse statistics at schools simply aren’t the same - and most schools now have quite a lot of cctv around the place too.

allfurcoatnoknickers · 06/04/2023 15:54

DS isn't even 4 yet and we can't be in his gymnastics classes - there's a viewing balcony, so we sit up there where he can't really see us but we can see him. Seems fairly normal?

For the older classes, most of the parents just drop their kids and mooch off to the cafe around the corner.

Teateaandmoretea · 07/04/2023 09:14

Unless all the parents have Disclosure it's inappropriate for them to sit and view children.

Utter nonsense.

Whydothat · 07/04/2023 09:29

Parents can sit and watch from a viewing gallery at my child's gymnastics class. There is no age or level where parents are forced to leave and it would make me nervous if that was their policy.

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