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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

‘Boys’ street dance is offered at school as a club - no ‘girls’ street dance - Is that ok?

56 replies

reallyconfusedmostofthetime · 06/12/2019 23:03

Can the school as best practice offer a club which specifically states only ‘boys’? My daughter would like to do it. They don’t offer girls street dance. Anyone know if there is legislation or guidelines for this?

OP posts:

aggitatedstate · 06/12/2019 23:05

At DS's school all sport and dance is segregated. Of course they can do it, what do you think happens in single sex schools?

FamilyOfAliens · 06/12/2019 23:08

Could you offer to help them set one up for the girls?

Original poster

reallyconfusedmostofthetime · 06/12/2019 23:19

Do they need separate street dance clubs? Or have I missed something and it’s essential that boys do street dance away from the glare of the female gaze?! 😂

OP posts:

Doyoumind · 06/12/2019 23:22

Unfortunately I think it's the case that boys won't dance if they think it's girly. I think it's good they are encouraging boys to dance.

TheQueenSnortsAvocados · 06/12/2019 23:25

Depends how it's been designed and funded.

ShippingNews · 06/12/2019 23:28

At my DGS school they have this - girls' regular dance club and boys' street dance club. The organiser told me that the majority of boys won't do the regular dance since they see it as "sissy". So the organisers decided to do street dance for boys to encourage them to do some kind of dance. It works fine - lots of boys do it , they wear baseball caps back-to-front and think they are all MC Hammer. If girls joined it might lose it's appeal.

BoneyBackJefferson · 06/12/2019 23:29

Is it a school run club, or an external agency?

If it is an external agency, they will either stop the club as its too much hassle to run it, or may capitulate to your demands.

If it is school run, they may force the teacher to be more inclusive and include girls, but again they my just think fuck it and not bother.

but you are clearly up for complaining to the school.

So just do it.

fascinated · 06/12/2019 23:29

The law does allow single sex clubs if justified. Here reason being that boys wouldn’t otherwise participate. I think they’d be able to justify it.

Ask for a girl’s version if necessary.

clary · 06/12/2019 23:41

Brownies and Guides are only for girls.

I think as others say, boys probably wouldn't dance in a mixed club. Why not ask for a girls' one too?

sirfredfredgeorge · 06/12/2019 23:49

"girls football club" is the common "equivalent" one in primary schools.

bintang · 06/12/2019 23:54

I think it's fine- lots of boys won't dance if the girls are around, but so many of them actually love dancing when they let themselves enjoy it.
If it was a girls' STEM project would you object? Yet they abound...

Sittinonthefloor · 06/12/2019 23:57

It’s fine, rather nice for the boys. My dcs school has a girls football club (with a coach), there isn’t one just for the boys, to their annoyance, because they don’t need one. For the girls it’s their only chance to play / the boys won’t let them kick a ball around on the grass. F a girl tried to join the boy’s football games at lunch they won’t pass to her.

ElluesPichulobu · 06/12/2019 23:58

I think this would be justifiable as a proportionate means to a legitimate aim. a mixed sex dance club of any kind would be dominated by girls. carving out a little space where boys can discover the joy to be had from dancing is good. surely there are out of school dance clubs dd could join?

bionicnemonic · 07/12/2019 00:05

Depending on the age boys can dance a bit 'randomly' i.e. lunging about and being a bit rowdy, perhaps thats a reason too

MintChocAddict · 07/12/2019 00:12

Leave the boys to dance like no-one's watching OP.
There are plenty of dance classes with hordes of girls in them that most boys wouldn't dream of going walking to for fear of being ridiculed. Think Billy Elliot.

The school is actually being inclusive by allowing boys to dance in an environment where they won't feel self conscious.

Inclusiveness works both ways.

If a boys only street dance club encourages boys to enjoy dance freely without feeling embarrassed then it can only be a good thing.

Same as Brownies only admitting girls so they can be themselves without boys around.

Anyway I've a feeling you'll probably complain anyway so not sure why you're posting...

RedskyToNight · 07/12/2019 10:59

This reminds me of a conversation I once had with my SIL about clubs at her DC's school.

She said that they had the following clubs:
For girls there was dance, art, cookery, needlework and book club

For boys there was football, dodgeball, lego and board games
(These weren't the exact clubs - used for illustration)

I exclaimed that I thought it was awful that the school segregated their clubs by boys/girls in such a way.
SIL said that the school didn't. In theory the clubs were open to both boys and girls. But by unwritten "rule" the girls only went to certain clubs and the boys only went to certain other clubs. There were no boys/girls in the "opposite" clubs.

Point of story - making a club open to everyone does not mean everyone will go.

museumum · 07/12/2019 11:11

99% of dance classes are 99% full of girls. I’d let the boys have this.

Cwenthryth · 07/12/2019 11:26

Brownies and Guides are only for girls.

Same as Brownies only admitting girls so they can be themselves without boys around

Sadly not - girl guiding admits children and adults who self-identify as being a girl or woman, irrespective of their sex. So boys and men can join, by self-identifying as a girl or woman.

www.girlguiding.org.uk/making-guiding-happen/policies/girlguiding-policies/equality-and-diversity-policy/transgender-gender-reassignment/

So if your daughter really wanted to join the boy’s street dance club, she could self-identify as a boy - she could just identify as a boy every Tuesday from 3.30-5pm and a girl the rest of the time - if it’s acceptable for city businessmen and police officers, then surely it’s fine for school children as well.

On a more sincere note - leave the boy’s dance club alone. This provision is helping fight against gender stereotypes that constrain our children. Sex segregation is wholly justified in various circumstances such as this. Let the boys find the space to explore their creativity and physical artistic expression, without feeling pressure to conform to the expectations they are otherwise socialised into in a mixed-sex environment.

Fraggling · 07/12/2019 11:32

Yes it's fine for reasons above.

See if there is enough interest to start a girls one as well.

Trewser · 07/12/2019 11:35

Parents complained constantly about the girls only football training at dds primary. Even though boys could join tens of weekend clubs, they couldn't handle the girls having something to themselves.

Please don't complain.

Fraggling · 07/12/2019 11:37

'Parents complained constantly about the girls only football training at dds primary'

That's so sad. Why would you do that?

A lot of people seem to have real issues with girls and women having anything for themselves.

Trewser · 07/12/2019 11:42

Yeah, and when my dd made it into the boys school football team a group of parents got together and complained that she'd taken their sons place.

One family deliberately wouldn't cheer when she scored in a match.

Anyway she plays regional football now so we won that one!

DoesntLeftoverTurkeySoupDragOn · 07/12/2019 12:25

I think it's the case that boys won't dance if they think it's girly

I agree. DD has done dance for 10 years (school and external club) and it has all been 99% girls. Most classes were all girls, with the odd boy popping up in Street classes.

TheMarzipanDildo · 07/12/2019 12:28

Trewser

cabbageking · 07/12/2019 16:14

You can provide for gaps in education or enrichment based on the needs of the children. One group may be targeted over another. It would be good practise to have identified a need and be catering for it in an innovative way.need
The proof of the pudding would be the focus and impact.

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