Temperatures have been plummeting lately, and last Monday, January 16, the Met Office described it feeling as cold as -4C. Despite this, students at a school in Leicestershire were reportedly not allowed to wear coats or jackets during their outdoor PE class.
A furious mum has complained about Martin High School's uniform policy, which meant students were not allowed to wear coats or jackets and were given a level two caution if they refused to remove outerwear, LeicestershireLive reports.
The mum claims her daughter was made to do the outdoor PE session in a T-shirt. Taking to social media, she seethed: "Martin High School. How is it acceptable to make children do PE outdoors in today's weather with no coats/jackets on??
"But the teacher can wear a coat? C2 if you refuse to take your coat off! Anyone else think I'm out of order for not accepting this kind of treatment? My daughter was made to do PE in a t-shirt today! Fuming!"
A spokesperson for the school in Anstey, which is part of the Lionheart Education Trust, said that they would have taken the lesson inside if conditions were deemed unsafe, but this would have been assessed by teachers beforehand.
According to executive principal Laura Sanchez, the children are encouraged to bring extra layers to wear under their PE kit when it's cold.
Meanwhile, other parents were conflicted about how they felt in regards to the situation. One person replied on Facebook: "The PE kit includes a jumper as well a t shirt to wear underneath. If you're running around and being active, you don't need a coat on and the teacher would be 'coaching' not running around to increase their body temperature."
Another said: "If your daughter is disabled, sick or malnourished then this is totally unacceptable. However if she is fit and healthy then I don't see a problem - in fact getting cold has proven health benefits". Many reminisced to when they attended school and said "you always did sport in all weather at school - it was fun".
However, others completely agreed with the mum, with one person saying: "I'm sorry just because everyone else used to do it as kids, doesn't mean its acceptable. At a minimum they should be allowed a jumper, especially until after they warm up - cold muscles can actually increase the risk of injuries.
"To some extent, they will need less clothing when exercising yes but also in extremely cold weather running against the wind can increase the chill factor and completely counteract the benefit of warming up through exercise. This is not going to support any young person to have a healthy and enjoyable relationship with health and fitness - just puts them off exercises even more".
Addressing the concerns, Ms Sanchez said: "PE lessons at Martin High School will take place both inside and outside throughout the year, however, qualified teachers will always assess the weather conditions in advance and move outdoor lessons inside if they deem conditions to be unsafe.
"Our PE uniform policy is shared with parents and students regularly, is available to view on the school website, and in addition, students are encouraged - and regularly reminded - to bring extra layers to wear underneath their PE kit during the colder months. Coats are not allowed as they restrict movement and risk being damaged or getting dirty."
Students that forget to bring extra layers for whatever reason are lent a spare kit "without consequence" so they can stay warm, Ms Sanchez said. She added: "We are transparent with students about our high levels of expectation across all areas of school life at Martin High and we are confident that our students know what is expected of them.”
Do you think it was right to enforce the rule of not wearing outdoor coats during the freezing weather? Let us know in the comments below.
