Sussex mum takes kids out of PE lessons as changing rooms closed

Parents of students at Robertsbridge Community College, a secondary school north of Hastings, were told their children must now wear their PE kit into school on days they have sports lessons at the start of the new term.

Mum-of-two Karen Davies raised her concerns about how this will affect children including her son and daughter William and Ninah Watson.

She said her son who is in Year 9 and her Year 8 daughter were uncomfortable in their other lessons when they had to wear “sweaty, dirty and wet” kit around school.

“We are going into autumn and the weather is often wet and cold," said Ms Davies. 

"They will be wet, cold and muddy when going into other lessons like cooking.

“It is unhygienic and the children can’t wear their uniform with pride.

“Trainers are not waterproof so the children will be walking around in wet shoes all day.”

The school said it introduced the measure after “consideration and communication” with parents in July.

Mum Karen Davies said children have to wear 'wet, muddy and stinky' PE kit all day after their sports lessons (Image: Karen Davies)

It said bringing PE kit into school and changing in and out of it is a “stressful experience” for some young people.

But Ms Davies believes it is only a minority of pupils who would find using the changing rooms in school difficult.

“Some students may feel self-conscious but I don’t believe that is the majority of students, and policies should not be made for the minority,” said Ms Davies.

“Many students go to sports and swimming clubs outside of school, which involve getting changed.”

Last week, William had PE and came home “stinking” since he was not allowed to change, his mum said.

“He felt dirty and uncomfortable for the rest of the day after PE,” said Ms Davies.

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She said the school suggested children who want to get changed can do so in the toilets, but Ms Davies said this would also be unpleasant for the pupils.

Ms Davies was also frustrated by the amount of money she had spent on her children’s uniforms, especially their footwear, which is now worn less often. Some timetables mean children have school on as many as three days a week, she said.

William and Ninah Watson in their PE kit which they now have to wear for the whole day on days they have sports lessons (Image: Karen Davies)

Clive Rosewell, acting headteacher at Roberstbridge said: “The decision to ask children to come to school in PE kit on PE days was taken after much consideration and communicated to parents in July.  The approach has been well received with positive feedback from many parents. 

“There has been a very small number of parents who have expressed dissatisfaction, and this was responded to promptly - there have been no further complaints from other parents or any escalation to governors.

“Bringing PE kit to school, and changing in and out of it, is a stressful experience for some young people. Many feel very self-conscious about changing in front of their peers.  The additional task of taking a bag with a change of clothing can also put pressure on children.   The school has made this decision based on research and experience to reduce anxiety for children.Mum Karen Davies said she does not think the majority of children are self conscious about using changing rooms (Image: Karen Davies)

“The school is emerging from a difficult period, and it is great to see real signs of improvement from the changes being made.  The school is now a calmer learning environment with improved behaviour, and the 2024 GCSE results were the best results the school has achieved for five years.”

Ms Davies said she thinks there was no proper consultation and said the school has not been able to show her documentation of the policy and when it was created.

She told The Argus she has since raised the matter with school governors.