Teaching PE while pregnant

[pasbeaucoupdegendarme]

I am a primary teacher, I have a mixed Y1/2 class. I work 3 days a week so naturally 1 PE lesson falls on one of my days.

I am 14 weeks pregnant, and beginning to think about PE next term. This term we have been doing Dance in my sessions, and as my pregnancy was only in the early stages teaching it has been fine (well, as fine as anything has been while I've been wanting to throw up constantly!). Next term we are due to be doing Gym so that will involve rather more physical support of the children, not to mention lifting of all equipment/apparatus/crash mats etc. I have no TA in the afternoon so can't ask her, and the children can't do it obviously as they are too small. Added to which, I'll be growing a stomach!

Should I ask my job share to take on my PE (which will mean PE on consecutive days)? What would happen if I was full time? I ask because it gives me a clue as to what is reasonable to ask for. Last time I was pg I didn't teach PE so the problem didn't arise, and the school I was in was so H&S mad they even took me off break duty in case I was knocked over!!

Any one with any experience or ideas?

have your school done a risk assessment?

I don't think you'd be unreasonable to ask for additional support during the lessons (so an extra adult to do the lifting, carrying, helping children on equipment). Your managers might decide it's easier to move pe to a day you don't teach, but that's up to them, not for you to decide. They're the managers - make it their problem.

Congratulations too :)

I'm 15 weeks and have been doing an additional after school netball club for years 5/6 since sept.

I'm quitting after Xmas but only because I've been deemed 'high risk' and told I need to take things easy.

If you're comfortable teaching pe then I wouldn't worry about swapping. If not I'd ask for a risk assessment to be done.

The advice with dance & gymnastics is not to attempt anything you wouldn't have done before you were pregnant.

I have known dance teachers teach right up until they gave birth but as time went on they found alternative ways of demonstrating things.

I don't think they've done a risk assessment yet, MrsPigling.

I'm not massively confident with the gym side of things anyway, tbh, which I think is colouring my expectations a bit. Obviously I wouldn't be attempting anything I wouldn't have done before I was pg, but increasingly I won't be doing things that I could do before, iyswim!

I'm fit, healthy, quite sporty myself, but I'm reluctant to support a big 7yo in a backward roll when at the same time I'm making my own 2yo walk more because carrying her hurts my back...

Pictures, I think if you're a dance or gym teacher it's a bit different because you are absolutely used to doing the things you do day in and day out. It's different when you're a run of the mill primary teacher who is more cut out for literacy and maths

Could another teacher cover your PE and you teacher their class for that session? We do that a lot at my school as we have some teachers that love teaching PE and others that hate it. The two teachers swap and one teaches PE while the other teaches something they excel at, like art.

That might work, pipbin.

Dear OP,

Congratulations on your pregnancy. If you have informed your employer of your pregnancy then they should have completed a risk assessment in partnership with you that considers just these sorts of issues. Talk to the HT about this and ensure one is in place as soon as possible (and certainly by the start of next term) as it is a legal requirement. I don't think that any of the points you raise are unreasonable and if you are able to be flexible with covering other things that should be fine. Good luck x

Er - why can't the children move the mats etc themselves? I don't teach PE (Hurrah! Sports coaches cover it in my PPA) but we've been using the gym mats to show where the stage will go for our nativity. I get 2 year 1 and 2 year 2 children to carry each mat, 1 in each corner. They've been fine. The same goes for benches - one each end. I agree that some of the larger kit will be more problematic.

Could you focus on things like jumps and balances rather than forward rolls? Do you have any children who go to a gym club who could model for you?

I fully sympathise with you not feeling hugely confident at teaching gym - I hate teaching PE in all it's forms - but if your 1/2 class are anything like mine, you should be able to train them to do all sorts of things for you!

When I did my risk assessment one of the suggestions was for someone else to take PE (e.g. swap a class). As it is I'm in nursery and can ask my NN to lead it if need be. I certainly no longer join in the games as I used to.