changing for PE

[lottiespoon]

I would like to know if anyone feels that girls and boys, particularly years 5 and 6 should change together or separately. If they change separately at your school can you let me know how this is done in terms of staffing and health and safety.

Together! They are 5 and 6. What is the issue?

They are not 5 and 6, they are 10 and 11. At dcs primary they started changing separately at that age.

Thanks bruffin, i appreciate you pointing out the age error. At my daughters school they get changed all together and it is an issue that has been raised, but there seems to be some reisistance to change from some staff. Do they have proper changing rooms at your primary or do they just use separate classrooms/cloakrooms? sorry i didn't reply sooner, been cooking the dinner.

speed reading! sorry, yes would not be happy at this age. 11yo girls have periods and are developing breasts. Can be excruciatingly embarrassing for them.

They used the class room and a smaller room

My lot are year 4. Girls in classroom, boys in area outside classroom, me in middle in classroom doorway. Mixed changing totally not acceptable in year 5 and 6. To be honest, it wouldn't be acceptable for my year 4 girls.

Thanks sneezecakesmama. So I'm not being over sensitive about this. I just remember when i was developing and I was so embarrassed. I was older than this age but the girls are developing a lot younger now.
bruffin, do they have a member of staff in each room as this has been raised as a health and safety issue if the children are not supervised all the time.

littlebrownmouse, was this in place when you first started at your school or was it through parents asking for a change that it happened?

Sorry I don't know probably used a TA.
I used to help out when they took them swimming. They used to want 2 adults in each changing room.

I have Y5 and they don't change together. Y6 have always changed apart in my school.

thanks bruffin. I think the more information i can get then the better case i have to argue for a change.

clopper, do you have proper changing rooms or use classrooms and how are they supervised

use corridor outside which is quite private and I sort of stand in the middle! Sometimes the girls get changed in the toilets, by the sinks rather than in the toilet cubicles when I have a TA. There are also religious/ cultural considerations.

No idea, it's just what I've always done. Year five and six have proper changing rooms, the doors are next to each other and teacher stands outside with a foot in each door so she can listen in. If two classes are doing PE at same time in juniors, girls get changed in one room, boys in another. We've allowed year 3 girls to get changed behind the cupboard/at the very far side of the classroom/round the corner due to early development. It's surely about being kind and not wanting your class to feel humiliated. Isn't it??

I think that all classrooms as the norm should have a screen/curtain something so they are always separated and it isn't a big deal.

Thanks everyone. I will have to try to get evidence to back up my argument and then see where i get with that. The argument was they don't have room for them to change separately but i don't think that's a valid reason not to do it. where there's a will there's a way!

TBH some girls are developing in Y4, they seem to develop much younger than when I started teaching.... how old am I! I have Y4 and 5 so they all get benefit of the split. I have found that it encourages more participation, lots of pupils will conveniently forget their kit if forced to change in front of others. Equally, some girls are happy to get changed together and some prefer a cubicle. Changing problems can be for weight, religious or development reasons. I would much rather have full participation in the lesson. sadly no room in school for proper changing rooms.

At my DCs school they get changed separately (in classrooms) from Y3 onwards. There's plenty of Y5 girls (like my own DD) who are staring to develop breast buds so it's not appropriate for them to get changed together.

DDs school, the two classes of the same year did PE at the same time so in yrs5/6 (I think yr4 too and poss yr3) there was a classroom and a teacher each for girls and boys.

Every swimming pool/gym I've ever been to insists on correct-gendered changing room from the age of 8, reckon that's about right.

It really saddens me that this is an issue, I was at junior school 30 years ago and we changed separately in year 6. I think if any girl feels awkward due to development, provision should be made. It only takes about five minutes to get changed if the class are well organised and disciplined, surely somewhere in the school could available for a couple of five minute slots.

Just read your latest comment littlebrownmouse. It is about respecting how the children feel, but sometimes i think some teachers are stuck in a rut and don't like change. I also don't think they can accept that the children of today, unfortunately, are more developed and aware of things than we were at that age.

At that age, the only things we had to change for PE were our shoes for 'pumps'- none of this PE kit business!

How can they be stuck in a rut/unaware about an issue that is so obvious? It's not as though it's challenging the way they teach or meaning they have to make massive changes in the manner of curriculum changes etc. i can't imagine anyone within a 2 mile radius thinking it would be ok for our year six girls to get changed with the boys.

lottiespoon, I think you are right that some teachers can be resistant to change, but equally there is much more emphasis on health and safety regarding supervision/ safeguarding and teachers being worried about the implications of that these days.