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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Earrings and school swimming

46 replies

lexcat · 08/09/2010 21:43

Dd had her ears pieced about a month ago. Today she had swimming with school and was told earrings had to be removed. Dd tried even though she knew they should be left in for a few more weeks. Lucky they didn't come out.

So went swimming and was told they have to be removed for next weeks swimming. I know that they have to be taped or removed for games/pe but swimming, why? Plus dd has been told she can't tape them for swimming as the tape will fall off.

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Ragwort · 09/09/2010 07:54

'studs can be worn but must be removed for PE or games' - surely most reasonable people would assume that meant swimming as well ?

Goblinchild · 09/09/2010 08:03

Yeah but no but yeah but that's different innit?

Even though swimming comes under the umbrella of PE. Because it's Physical Exercise.
Flagellating a deceased equine here.

bruffin · 09/09/2010 08:43

My DDs earring was torn through her ear at swimming, but not in a lesson. It was about two weeks after she had them pierced (for her 10th birthday and during the school holidays)
When she was drying her hair afterwards the towel caught the butterfly at the back and the earring was pulled through her earlobe and was actually stuck inside. We spent a couple of hours in a&e sorting it out.

I have since found out that the shape of the earring should never have been used for pierceing, it was a little diamond but the setting was cone shape rather than square.

Our swim teachers require that earrings are removed, but have let newly pierced ones stay in, as long as they are firmly covered by a swim hat.

Ragwort · 09/09/2010 10:05

Someone's got to say this so I will prepare to be flamed - I don't think any school children up to age 16 should have pierced ears - or any piercings for that matter. .

elphabaisgreen · 09/09/2010 10:19

'Twould be hypcritical of me to agree as I got mine done at age 11 in the summer holidays betwene primary and secondary.

However I don;t think they should be allowed at school at all.

jellybeans · 09/09/2010 11:47

Just tell her to tell the teacher she won't be taking them out till they are healed. It's only a week or so now isn't it? I agree the teacher shouldn't tell her to take them out if they are not healed yet.

mumtoabeautifulbabyboy · 09/09/2010 19:59

I think most people would understand that swimming is part of PE.
A few reasons why earings aren't usually allowed in school pools:
Coming out and another child standing on them/swallowing
When teaching backstroke there tend to be lots of arms waving about into each other's heads!
Small parts getting stuck in filter (different filter system in many small pools to larger ones at leisure complexes)

The teacher is correct in that the tape is likely to fall off in the pool.

nancydrewrocked · 09/09/2010 20:15

Er fairly obvious that swimming would fall under the umbrella of PE surely?

Original poster

lexcat · 10/09/2010 20:10

Sorted talked to the head and yes she can tape her earring for games, PE and swimming, as long as the tape stays on. So the no taping for swimming was the teacher getting it wrong. As long as the earring are covered tape or hat there is no problem.

Thanks to bruffin for the hat point.

OP posts:

ragged · 08/01/2011 12:31

Question: what tape if any is suitable?
I did ask a lot about PE lessons before getting DD's ears done; they said she would just have to tape them up. I didn't know she'd have swim lessons though, which start in 2 days and I don't know if there's any tape (what kind of tape??) she can use or if she just has to miss them?

Any advice?

mrz · 08/01/2011 12:50

Our swimming instructor won't allow earrings at all.
ordinary medical dressing tape easy to tear will work for PE if the school is happy for that.

PixieOnaLeaf · 08/01/2011 12:52

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

ragged · 08/01/2011 14:11

The part I don't get is this:

DD attends regular swimming lessons (I pay for) in local leisure centre. She also goes there for fun swims, too. Everybody (kids and adults) can wear earrings and other body rings. Even when it's very crowded and babies might eat them or somebody might step on them or the kids might wrestle them out. Nobody is ever asked to take them out. Not for fun swims, not for lessons, ever.

DD is expected to attend the exact same centre for swim lessons with school: suddenly earrings are a health and safety issue.

Why do the leisure centre staff have no issue about earrings & jewellery but the school staff do?

Sorry MRZ, can you supply a link for "medical dressing tape"? Is it something like this?

PixieOnaLeaf · 08/01/2011 14:15

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

ragged · 08/01/2011 14:30

Should explain, at the moment we just use fabric strip plasters cut to size, for gym/Judo/school PE. But they would def. fall off in the pool.

ragged · 08/01/2011 14:33

The Leisure Centre allows them to be in the Pool with me off the premises from the age of 8yo. So who is responsible then? Still me?

In which case why can't I sign a waiver and be the one held responsible during school swim lessons, too?

Anyway, if anyone knows what type of tape is right, please supply a link because I am totally confused.

mrz · 08/01/2011 14:41

Sorry I was unclear with my reply I wouldn't use tape in a swimming pool just for PE lessons
here

As Pixie says for swimming lessons the school is responsible and in our "blame" culture schools are aware they can be held responsible and sued in the event of an accident.

ragged · 08/01/2011 14:45

The leisure centre could be sued, too, though, right? It's half-Council half-private run, all sorts of stakeholders to run their own risk assessments on it.

Anyway, I'm not out to change any policy, just wondering which tape MIGHT be suitable (and if I could source it in the next 36 hours).

It's going to be far far easier just to pull DD out of the next 2 school swim lessons -- only she was upset about that so I was trying to make some effort to help her out. I would have not let her get the ears pierced when she did, if I had known this issue would come up (Cat Bum's Face).

ragged · 08/01/2011 14:46

Oh, ps, Ta for link!

neerg · 08/01/2011 15:16

Blimey- all this talk for a 9 year old with earings!!!It is all wrong wrong wrong, people are blaming the swimming pools, the instructors, health and safety. There is talk of 'the teacher said this' and 'the head said that'
The person that is most at fault here is the OP who let her daughter have earings (which in my personal opinion is bad enough), but then also had the 'forsight' to have the healing process run during term time.

khp77 · 10/01/2015 20:49

I realise this is an old post but this is the first time I've actually read a thread to the end - and the last. What kind of oponionated, judgemental and horrible people write comments on here??? Someone just genuinely wanted an answer to a question. Instead, it appears that a lot of women on here are only capable of passing judgement and forcing their own opinion onto others. We all have freedom speech, I get it. But I thought this site was there for mums to be able to support each other and get answers to questions. All it seems like for some of the members above is a platform for them to belittle anyone who doesn't have the same viewpoint. It's people like you who give women a bad name. Pathetic to feel the need to behave this way.

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