Buttoned shirts and PE in reception

[ohmysense]

So we've started getting uniform for a reception-aged child and I realised mine cannot fasten and unfasten buttons on a button-down shirt (they are quite tight). How did your reception-aged children handle changing for PE by themselves? Would someone help them with the buttons? Would the school allow a polo on a PE day instead of a shirt if the child struggles to change by themselves? (polos are not part of the winter uniform as per policy)

Oh that’s sad, putting a small child in restrictive clothes. Most primaries allow polo shirts, but if yours doesn’t ( and you’d need to speak to parents of children already at the school to find out the unwritten policy) then you’ll have to practice doing buttons, and taking shirts on and off only undoing a few. They do become less stiff the more you use them.
Personally, I d think twice about sending a young child to a school with that sort of uniform, but it depends on your available options and other priorities.
My experience is that that schools with a formal uniform tend to be quite strict on enforcement.

Many schools request that children are sent to school in PE kit on the days (specified) that they have PE or games to avoid changing at school. Worth asking the school your child is joining for Reception - helps the children but also staff as they do not waste half the lesson with children getting changed.

Lots of schools have their children come in PE kit on PE days - ask about this. Our Reception children don’t change for PE in the first term. Regarding buttons, if you get a stitch ripper you can enlarge the buttonholes slightly which will make it easier to undo / fasten buttons.

A lot of schools in our area specifically ask that reception children do not wear their PE kit on the day, as changing independently is a learning objective in the curriculum. They do dedicate quite a lot of time at first for helping them change but they said it improves massively later in the year.
A stitch ripper is a great idea, thanks!

How ridiculous to not allow 4 year olds to wear comfortable and practical clothing! This would seriously put me off a school.

Since COVID, my school have asked children to come in in their PE kit on PE days. As a Reception teacher, I'm actually against this but have sadly been overruled as "it stops the from losing clothes" and "you get longer to actually do PE". 🙄

Being able to dress and undress themselves is such an important life skill and so many children are sadly not encouraged to do this at home, for quickness. We get to Christmas, where they need to change for the Nativity, and discover nobody can dress themselves independently. Yes it's a faff at first in Reception, yes it means only 10 minutes for the actual PE lesson by the time you've factored in changing time, but it's so worth it when they can all do it independently by the end of the year.

To answer your question, yes they will help him if he's truly stuck. He will be encouraged to try for himself first though. Remember you have all summer to practise. He will get better if it's something he's expected to do independently at home too. Children generally struggle more with changing in school when they just expect a grown up to do it for them, because that's what happens at home.

My daughter couldn’t touch or wear buttons. At primary she wore a polo without buttons or zipped summer dress. For secondary I used to transfer the buttons to the other side and add Velcro.
You can now buy these from M & S.
If he still can’t manage when he starts school one of these for PE day may help.

https://www.marksandspencer.com/3-pack-boys-adaptive-easy-to-iron-shirts/p/clp60449909?color=WHITE&extid=ps_ps-pla-pmax_ggl_school_ch__-UK-_-_baussc&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=19973632483&gbraid=0AAAAAD7g6bS9KVmyIT1NgJ9BHJ3ifwjlR&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIsfXz7ZOrjgMV5JtQBh1eAhlUEAQYAiABEgLG7fD_BwE