No Plimsoles On Gym Equip.....legislation?

[Guest]

Dear All,

 

am sat here fuming on behalf of my P.A.'s son.

 

He has a verucca on his foot and is currently being excluded from PE because 'APPARENTLY' legislation exists that states only children with bare feet should be using the large gym equipment!!!!!!!!!!

 

I, thankfully, do not have the pleasure of working in a school, this child is in year 1, but I am fairly confident that this decision would be down to the Schools own risk assesment......

 

Do correct me if I'm wrong and I will swallow my words!

[Guest]

I seriously doubt whether parliament has found the time to do this.

 

However, it may well be safer for children to have bare feet as they can grip better than if they are wearing plimsols etc.

[Susan]

He should be able to seal his verruca with clear nail varnish and participate.

[thumperrabbit]

Yes, My son year 3 has verucca's and no he couldn't wear plimsols BUT neither would they exclude him from PE he still carried on bare foot and also the school wouldn't help to put on swimming sock and he still had to do swimming.

I found out over 1/2 the class have verucca's - I'm not surprised!

[mundia]

The LA will have guidance on health and safety during PE lessons ( as well as other things like science lessons), but they are often vague enough for the school to make certain decisions, which should be recorded in their own policies.

 

I know I worked in a school many years ago where we did encourage bare feet because of the reason given by lolo, bare do grip apparatus better for smaller feet than pumps or trainers do.

 

I would check on the school and LA policy, either way, the child should not be excluded because of a verruca, and this may be something theory will have to discuss as an amendment to their policy if it isn't covered.

[Guest]

Would agree re: bare feet gripping as others have said. I've never ever heard of this in all the years I have been teaching - and when I teach PE I am more concerned about earrings and loose hair! If I started to check feet then that would be another 5 mins lost off the PE slot! I know veruccas have to be covered for swimming but PE - that's a new one on me!

 

I think there is a PE specialists website - might be on there!

[janebe]

No real input on the bare feet argument (although I ask my children not to wear plimsolls) but as for verrucas...

 

My son has had a really big cluster of verrucas on his toe that just wouldn't go however much I bazookered! The doctor recently said that I shouldn't worry because they would always disappear eventually (2 years max?) but that gaffer tape worked a treat! Apparently, the gaffer tape suffocates the verrucas.

 

This may solve the PE problem too as long as the school are happy with gaffer tape!!!

[Guest]

I doubt it's legislation but as long as I've been teaching I have never allowed children to wear pumps on large apparatus, the only time they wear pumps is for outside PE. I'm fairly certain it comes down to risk assessments-some pumps have very poor grips or are poorly fitting and children have a better grip on apparatus with bare feet. I would expect a verruca to be dressed and then the child could join in PE-after all if we are fullfilling the expectation of 2 hours of physical exercise per week for children then they can't be sitting out a PE lesson. With my own children suffering verrucas in the past and knowing how long they last it could be 3 or 4 months of sitting out a PE lesson. The freeze spray stuff killed my son's verucca in the end.

[Guest]

Thank you for all your good advice and input! Not been well so haven't been on

 

The school have admitted that there isn't legislation to this effect!!!!! And the child wont be excleded in future! All the reasons and solutions above are fab and will be suggesting them to mum!