The broom cupboard 2 - just for when we get briefly stranded without a staffroom

[TheHoneyBadger]

I'll pop a link in the old one so you know where to find safe haven. I have tried to clear out some space by getting rid of the ohp and vcr trolley and gin is hidden behind the sick sand bucket.

Shuddering at PE memories from my own schooldays. Gym knickers - nasty, navy nylon things - with PE skirts over the top for netball. White aertex tops. We had to have our names embroidered on the skirts and tops in house colours. We weren't allowed to wear tracksuits bottoms or long socks even for hockey. Ooh, it was so cold. And then the compulsory showers, handing the towel to the PE teacher and being given a sliver of ancient soap in return. Brrrrrrrrr.

Honestly would not have done PE if I was made to wear those shorts or gym skirts. Our kit was same for boys and girls - rugby top, socks and long shorts. I had such body issues as a teen and was horrifically bullied so didn't need more ammo.

So far I have tidied the sofa.... need to do a bit more tidying before meeting a friend so naturally I'm sat faffing on my phone.

The old PE knickers were hideous.

I’ve had girls complaining to me that leggings for PE have been banned. Because they are “distracting” for the boys. Not impressed by that attitude, there’s nothing wrong with leggings IMO.

I suspect we were at similar schools, Cornercupboard. I shudder at the memories.

I'd managed to blot out forgotten the fact that I also need to crack on with reports. 30 children x 4 sides of A4 =

Thank goodness it's a BH weekend!

It does bug me that boys aren't allowed to wear shorts in summer in secondary. They are fine in primary, what suddenly happens to boys' legs? We had a teacher sent home when they turned up during a heat wave with smart tailored shorts.

Thinking about it, schools are really messed up around legs.

But it's lovely to actually have a PE lesson or Forest school session which doesn't consist mainly of seeing children's bottoms

And have the PE lesson actually last the full hour, rather than 20 minutes for faffing about getting ready, 20 minutes faffing about getting back into uniform and then 20 minutes afterwards trying to teach a lesson whilst simultaneously reuniting children with lost items of clothing.

One thing I'm keeping an eye on is the appointment of Sir Robbie Gibb to the board of the BBC.

He's Nick Gibb's brother.

Oh God. That is so ridiculous.

Oh God please may you. AAAARGH. We have members of staff who do this. And can't spell tommorrow so often a double whammy....

Still the tommorrow culprit (lovely man) is now a Dep head at a private school. Wonder if anyone has corrected him yet??

Really interesting article about female gymnastic leotards in the Times today if anyone has it. The rules about the length of them and the necklines are most disturbing : like the opposite of school rules. The German team recently all wore unitards to compete. I have always found gymnastic leotards a bit unsettling.

I saw those German gym outfits and thought they were beautiful. Where outfits for sports are gendered, it always seems that the women's are tiny and the men's more sensible. Why are women's swimsuits so high cut for example, when men get to wear swim shorts?

Yes ,definitely. The excuse is always 'aesthetics' which is creepy in itself. As the article says it is a focus on an almost pre pubescent body ideal.

Lots of women do now wear long leg swimsuits.

I remember gym knickers - yuk!

The girls at my school can either wear long leggings or a skort (we have a PE uniform that has to be purchased through school). They were a personalised polo shirt and a hoodie. They look lovely and will never know the horror of gym knickers!

My own DC wear a unisex kit. Polo shirt in house colours and navy shorts or navy joggers/leggings.

My DD dances but only wears a leotard for dance exams (with dance tights). For training she wears leggings and a T-shirt. Some of her classmates wear a vest top but she’s never asked for that. She has a friend who does gymnastics and they’re told not to wear knickers for events because they show!

*wear

Our girls can wear any of the four options for PE: skirt/shorts/leggings/tracksuit bottoms (all with logos, natch). Some of them choose the tiny skirt and over the knee hockey sock look and they can't understand why they can't roll up their other skirts on non-PE days. It's difficult.

She has a friend who does gymnastics and they’re told not to wear knickers for events because they show!

That's awful! As if the leotards aren't revealing enough

Those German unitards are great, aren't they? Lets hope women's beach volleyball thinks about making their kit less objectifying, too.

We have unisex pe kit and uniform - I'm glad of it. I had those awful, exposing gym knickers and uncomfortable comments from male members of staff - I refused to do pe most of the time because I was so uncomfortable about being forced to be in a hideous pair of knickers.

Ours male/female wear black tracksuit bottoms and a school polo shirt or rugby shirt. Forcing girls to show flesh is ridiculous imo.

@noblegiraffe

It does bug me that boys aren't allowed to wear shorts in summer in secondary. They are fine in primary, what suddenly happens to boys' legs? We had a teacher sent home when they turned up during a heat wave with smart tailored shorts.

Thinking about it, schools are really messed up around legs.

Every year, I have boys in my class who wear shorts all year round - they're making the most out of them before they are banned at secondary.

I think it should be the same for staff too though, and it is at my current school. But I've worked in places before where, in the July heat, women have been in summer dresses and the men have been forced to be in trousers, shirt, tie and a strongly-encouraged blazer.

Do you think men are just more conformist or perhaps lacking imagination in how to be 'smart' without being in a suit? They don't seem to push back against it or find other ways to dress even though I've never worked somewhere that that dictated they had to wear a suit? We've got one younger guy who wears trousers and sweater and has never been told off about it so they could dress differently if they wanted to.

In the school I was in, one of the male teachers asked about it and was told absolutely not (by a headteacher who constantly wore form-fitting dresses that started just above the nipple and ended just below her underwear).

Apparently even smart shorts would be unprofessional and would encourage the women in school to wear hot pants.

We have a male maths teacher who wears a scruffy zip-up fleece every day instead of a jumper or jacket. I may possibly be sick of the sight of it I think that's pushing it, when the kids have to wear blazers, but the management are just so grateful to have a maths teacher that they haven't mentioned it.

Come to think of it, the woman who teaches maths and computing is allowed to dress very scruffily, too. Shortage subjects.

I don't think we've ever had a man try to wear shorts outside of PE. Most wear shirt, tie and trousers. Some include a suit jacket but others have a jumper or nothing and that is fine too. SLT always have a jacket or waistcoat... SLT also wear suits on INSET days to remind us all what peasants we are.

It does bug me that boys aren't allowed to wear shorts in summer in secondary

They do at my school! The hairy legs are very different from primary school legs and often reminds me how much they are growing up

@noblegiraffe

One thing I'm keeping an eye on is the appointment of Sir Robbie Gibb to the board of the BBC.

He's Nick Gibb's brother.

I got excited for a minute thinking you were talking about a Bee Gee.

I'll carry on marking...