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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Original poster

Do your children have the opportunity to wash or shower after PE at school?

42 replies

roisin · 14/11/2011 18:10

At the boys' school lessons are just 50 mins long and in yr7 and yr8 they only have single lessons of PE, so I can understand that time is very short; they have to get changed super-quick at either end, and there is certainly no time to shower.

(I lived in a house with no central heating and hot water was rationed, so I used to adore having hot showers at school! They couldn't get me out.)

But atm ds2 is doing rugby at school; his PE lessons are at the start of the day - P1 on Monday. He's come home later (after a drama club after school) and is absolutely caked in mud from his thighs to his ankles. He's been sitting in this for 7 hours. It's pretty grim, isn't it? (It's been this way twice a week for the past 3 weeks. At least he's throwing himself into it.)

I can't see there's any alternative, but it really isn't great.

Just wondered what happens elsewhere.

OP posts:
hocuspontas · 14/11/2011 18:13

Showers available but no one uses them according to dd3. Are there showers at school but he isn't using them or are there no showers at all? Shock

mnistooaddictive · 14/11/2011 18:14

We had showers when I was at school, but NO-ONE used them as they were open with no doors.

bigTillyMint · 14/11/2011 19:05

Apparently there are showers, but no-one uses them. It was exactly the same at my secondary school.

I would be amazed if many children shower after PE, though maybe it's different at private/public schools?

NatashaBee · 14/11/2011 19:07

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thelatestthing · 14/11/2011 19:11

We had showers at school and they were never, ever used. The boys used to get in one big bath after rugby. They had triple games and we only had double Hmm.

pointydog · 14/11/2011 19:13

No time to shower.

The dds take gym trousers and change back to their school clothes. Why doesn't your ds change his filthy trousers?

Meglet · 14/11/2011 19:15

I never showered at school. My idea of hell.

herbietea · 14/11/2011 19:16

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herbietea · 14/11/2011 19:17

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pointydog · 14/11/2011 19:23

On his legs? Under his trousers?

I'd suggest he wear joggers then for outdoor mucky PE lessons.

ilovedjasondonovan · 14/11/2011 19:28

When I was at secondary in the late 80's we had open showers and we HAD to shower. It was horrible and still traumatises me 20 years later. I'd rather have walked around in mud than have to show off my flat chest to all the chested girls again in the showers. A normal comp too.

Magneto · 14/11/2011 19:28

When I was at school there were showers but the ones that weren't being used as store cupboards were used to bully other students - people would chuck the victim/their uniform/bag into the shower and turn it on. No one ever took a shower after PE, no matter how smelly they got (and some of the boys got really smelly!)

jenniec79 · 14/11/2011 19:30

This is probably the main reason secondary schools stink of teenage-boy-sweat & Lynx-deoderant - yuk, I remember it well!

We had showers available after swimming, but the showers in the PE changing room block were used as storage for old gym equipment, huge bags of volleyballs (we never played volleyball) etc Hmm

Never really worried about it at the time - frequently left tights on under tracky bums too (I know, but it was the era of grunge) but having just been to the gym tonight, I'm a bit Hmm about the whole thing!

Original poster
roisin · 14/11/2011 19:41

Yes, he does PE/rugby in shorts - they all do I think. There is a school/uniform pair of joggers, but no-one wears them.

So he gets very muddy legs and then changes back into his school uniform.

OP posts:
Original poster
roisin · 14/11/2011 19:41

He seems to be quite enjoying it, but I'm counting the weeks til rugby is finished!

OP posts:
supermama212 · 17/11/2011 08:44

my DD does. though no-one uses them. i would as they are lovely showers!!
she says no time afterwards but she has all pe lessons before break so they do!

Hullygully · 17/11/2011 08:46

I think it's really odd. When my ds started secondary school I put a towel and shower gel in his sports bag as at his old school, but they don't get to shower. He too has to put his school uniform back on over his muddy rugby body. Not great.

happystory · 17/11/2011 08:59

I have had two children go through different secondary schools and no point have they ever had a shower at school. I think it's rank, esp with the muddy sports, but then remember how ghastly it was having communal showers when I was the same age....

CrosswordAddict · 17/11/2011 16:45

This throws light on my own experience.
Many years ago at grammar school I remember showers were a MUST DO.
No-one was excused unless they brought a note from home explaining why.
Then my own DDs started high school and I packed a towel etc.
Towel came home bone dry! Reason? No compulsory showers after PE.
It is all very strange to me. What is it teaching them about personal hygiene?

joencaitlinsmum · 21/11/2011 13:52

Hi
From what I have been told they are not encouraged to shower at secondary school these days as its a major child protection issue, you will find that each school has a different policy, I'm not surprised as when I was at secondary school in the 80's I can vividly remember our PE teacher gawping at us girls in the shower each lesson.
My son plays rugby and they are given the option to take a shower but are told to keep their PE shorts on to do it, fair enough I think as I wouldnt want my DS to sit all day caked in mud.

stealthsquiggle · 21/11/2011 13:59

DS allegedly showers after games (esp rugby) - they wear speedo-type swimming trunks under their shorts for rugby (saves muddy pants as the mud soaks through) and they shower in those.

I say "allegedly" because he still comes home with fairly comprehensively muddy legs, but I suspect that at least the top layer of mud does come off in the 30 second shower.

pointdog most boys would die of embarrassment if you were to suggest they wore tracksuit trousers rather than shorts for rugby - definitely not "done"

mumstoast · 21/11/2011 15:39

i know DD2 uses the showers to wash the mud off her legs after cross country, but when it gets to the winter she takes in a small pack of baby wipes and uses them because she says the showers are ussually cold!

MoreBeta · 21/11/2011 15:43

DS s go to a day school which is very big on rugby and they never get a shower after a game. It really annoys me and I know some visiting boarding schools who play them at sport can't beleive they dont have showers.

StopRainingPlease · 21/11/2011 17:56

No, no opportunity for a shower. Don't know how the teachers in the next lesson can stand it.

nailak · 21/11/2011 18:04

we never showered at school, they were there but never never used by anyone, it was unthinkable to use it,

how do girls manage when on period etc when having to shower in front of everyone?

i went to girls school so not as stinky but the showers were rank