Woodcote High School Croydon PE kit rule blasted by parents

The decision is set to be enforced from the new school year in September and has been made despite vocal opposition from hundreds of parents and students.

Parents with children at Woodcote High School believe the school’s decision will disproportionately impact SEND children and those who don’t want to get changed in front of their peers.

One parent, Rebecca Guildford, told the local democracy reporting service (LDRS), the new policy will make students’ differences “blindly obvious,” and could negatively impact their mental health.

The former policy, which stipulated that students get dressed in their PE kits at home rather than in the school changing rooms, was launched during the pandemic due to concerns over social distancing.

However, many parents and students realised they preferred this policy as they felt it better respected the differences between students.

Guildford, who has a son at the school, told the LDRS how the policy was welcomed as a positive step by the school.

She said: “Woodcote, like many other schools over Covid, decided that children should get changed into their PE kit at home.

“It was a much better policy for children because they don’t have to change in front of their peers, they don’t have to have any mental or physical differences they have bought out in the changing rooms.”

As the pandemic began to subside, the school asked parents and students if they wanted to keep the policy.

According to Guildford the answer to the referendum was a resounding yes, leading her to say “shock horror, the children and the parents prefer this way.” 

Initially, the Purley school respected the consensus and added that “the privilege” to change at home could remain.

However, this later was followed up by an announcement made in the weeks leading up to the end of the term that the school would be returning to the pre-COVID policy.

Instead of allowing children to change at home, the school will now require every child to get changed at school unless they had an official letter exempting them from doing so.

The school’s reason for the update was reportedly due to a continuing trend of children coming in the wrong PE kit, which the school said it could not control under the current policy.

This news sparked outrage among some parents and students who, in response created their own online surveys and petitions calling for the school to reconsider.

Chief among their reasons for objecting was the school’s apparent lack of respect for its neurodivergent and physically disabled students.

Louise Hammond, who has a child with SEND at the school, told the LDRS about the real consequences of the school’s decision.

She said: “Personally for me, it would mean my daughter opting out of PE as a lesson. 

“She is a statemented child and her main issues are around clothing, she takes approximately two hours to get dressed in the morning for school.

"We already had issues in PE when they do indoor sports and want them to go barefoot, she has received detentions for refusing to take off her shoes and socks even though the school are aware of her additional needs. 

“The school have offered some parents exemptions for their children to come in in PE kits but my daughter has already said she won’t do this as all her peers will ‘bully’ her for being allowed.”

A number of parents have expressed doubts over the exemption letter solution offered by the school.

Guildford believes the “blindly obvious” difference between those who have an exemption and those who don’t will only heighten anxieties.

Following the decision, fellow parent Christiane Gross emailed the school detailing her numerous objections to the decision.

Gross, who has two boys in years 7 and 8, told the school:  “Our children are not happy at all with this proposal, and neither are we as parents.”

She added: “In an age group that is so conscious about their changing bodies, it is only welcomed to remove this stress element from their daily lives for the benefit of everyone and especially to protect vulnerable children, for example, children who are already overweight, girls on their periods and so on.

“It would not surprise me if this would lead to more absences as young people might skip school altogether to avoid this stressful situation. Clearly, attendance should be paramount in any school.”

Guildford acknowledged that some people may not understand the strength of their opposition, but believes the school is failing to “move with the times.” She told the LDRS: “People on the outside might think, who cares?

“Generations have done that before but that’s not really the way that it plays out now.

"You’ve got so many children who are neurodiverse, or who are suffering from PTSD and all manner of things that we teach our children to acknowledge.”

Parents and students have also expressed concerns that forcing students to carry the extra weight of a PE bag could negatively affect children with physical disabilities.

Guildford spoke of how this weight could make life harder for children with hypermobility, and possibly potentially lead to shoulder dislocations.

She also believes that by reversing the decision and ignoring their concerns, the school is ignoring its stated values exhibiting a “do as I say not as I do attitude.”

The school joined The Collegiate Trust’s roster of academy schools last year and is committed to the ASPIRE values of schooling, one of which is respect.

Laatanya Curling is the Chair of Croydon Active Voices, a multi-disciplinary forum that helps parents get their voices heard and find the best way to help SEND children in school.

She agrees that the decision will be detrimental to students who have adapted to the previous policy, and has even dubbed it “ableist.”

Curling told the LDRS: “Such unilateral decisions undermine the principles of a holistic and inclusive educational approach, which Croydon’s local authority are actively striving to champion within the schools across the borough.

“Inclusive education necessitates active collaboration and communication among all stakeholders, ensuring that the unique needs and voices of not only SEND students but all students are respected and integrated into policy-making processes.

"By bypassing consultation, Woodcote High School has not only disregarded the specific challenges and insights of SEND families but is also fostering an environment of exclusion and inequity. 

“This approach erodes trust and cooperation, essential elements for the success and well-being of all students.

"Therefore, to align with the inclusive ethos Croydon advocates, it is imperative that policy and rule changes such as the wearing of PE kit to school on PE days undergo thorough consultation, ensuring that the educational environment remains equitable, supportive, and responsive to the diverse needs of its student population.

“I am aware that this change came from a minority of students not wearing the correct kit and these students are being sent home to change, put in isolation or given a spare correct kit to change into and this takes up time and decreases these students learning time, but I am still unable to see how the disregard of the rules by a minority takes priority over the needs of others.”

Despite breaking up for the school holidays, the parents have vowed to contest the decision and hope the school reconsider in time for the start of term in September.

Woodcote High School was approached for comment but failed to respond in time for publication.