Separate Changing Areas for Year 5 / 6

[McBainClan1970]

I'm trying to get some ideas what happens at other Primary schools with regards to changing for PE. At my son's school they do not have any changing facilities so they all get changed together in the classroom. My son is in year 6 and there are some well developed girls and boys. With regards to Safeguarding from adults and the opposite sex (children) I would have thought it to be best practise to provide separate changing areas?
Let me know your thoughts and what happens in your children's school.
Thank-you

Y5 and 6 get changed separately at my school.

Definitely Y6 get changed separately at my children’s school. Many girls in particular by that age are going through puberty and shouldn’t be changing together.

Ours all change together in the classroom too - I think it’s fine. They all have pants on and any girls who feel uncomfortable can wear vests too....there really shouldn’t be any drama unless someone is deliberately seeking attention in which case teacher can deal with it.

Change in classroom, boys at one end and girls at other both facing towards the wall. Not the best is it?

It won't improve. Nobody gives a fuck now about privacy. Mixed sex toilets are being phased in and no fucker cares.

Our school is two form intake so they get changed in separate classrooms, for years 5&6.

'any girls who feel uncomfortable can ...' wear a vest/not do PE/stay at home/suck it up/get over themselves/learn that it's fine to be uncomfortable

The kids all go to the toilets to get changed from Y3 upwards.

We had separate changing back in the 90s by this age. I just thought it was the norm

CHange separately from year 3. blinkingblimey my DD was wearing a bra and started her periods in Year 5. You really think it would have been appropriate for her to change in front of boys?

I’ve never changed a class together after Y4.

Even if there are no changing rooms, you can do girls in class, boys in toilets or vice versa.

Ours change separately from Y4 I think - definitely doing so by Y5. I'm really surprised to hear there are schools that do otherwise!

Mine changed in classroom as did I

3 form entry school - Y5 & 6 girls change in the library, boys in the classroom (if just one class is doing PE). If multiple classes from the same year have PE at the same time, boys in one classroom and girls in another.

Up to Y4 the whole class changes in the classroom. Reception and KS1 also swim in the school pool - all change in a single changing room but there is a divider drawn across to give privacy.

DD school used to only let y6 change separately until y5 parents complained vociferously. There will be girls in every y5 class who wear proper bras (not crop tops / vests) and have periods. It is not appropriate for them to change in front of boys at this age.

Separate in 5&6. As pp said some girls have started periods by then and it is NOT appropriate for them to be in underwear. Would be idea to have a few cubicles but that's not always an option.

Our school changes the children separately in Yr 5 and 6 - as said above, if two classes both doing PE then both classrooms are used, if not the boys go to the toilets.

More than 30 years ago we were changing separately when I was in Yr 6 - our classroom was L shaped and there was a curtain which could be drawn across the smaller part.

Mixed y5&6 classes. Girls use a changing room, boys use the classroom.

When dd 1 was at primary , come year 4 the girls started hiding behind chairs then it progressed to the girls going to the kitchen to get changed then finally in yr 5 they changed in separate classrooms. ( 2 form entry school)
There really needs to be some provision. Its criminal they are made to change together still at that age .

And they wonder why so many hours of education are missed in the uk due to periods.

There's also the fact that boys underwear covers far more than alot of the girls underwear. The coverage/function is bit as good.

And yes I know parents should buy decent underwear but they don't always do that. He he why girls probably feel alot more exposed than the boys do.

That's not to say boys don't deserve the privicy to of course they do. No one should be in this position at all

from year 5 girls go to the changing room and boys change in the classroom.

Do remember year 5 some girls are starting periods . We had boys Change , girls another one class

But surely with the current gender issues, separate provision by gender is declining, not increasing?

My DC's change separately from y2. This is probably earlier than necessary but y5 definitely need to be separate.

20 Years ago, at my Primary school, the year 5 and 6 girls changed on the cloakroom or toilets, so I was a bit surprised and unsettled to find that my DD, in year 5, still has to change with all the boys in the classroom and with a male teacher. She hasn't personally expressed a problem with this, though, since year 4 she always makes sure to wear a vest for PE so she's obviously feeling somewhat self conscious. My 6 year old already doesn't like changing for PE as apparently the boys laugh at her.

I'm wondering if/how to bring up the issue with school. There's at least one girl year 5 that is starting to develop, and I know of a few 10 year olds who have started their periods.

They all have pants on and any girls who feel uncomfortable can wear vests too..

Really Blinkey? Girls with bras and sanitary towels should just get on with it and not make a fuss?

And would you want to wear a vest to do sport in summer?