Refusing to do P.E

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I'm in year 11 at a school which I really struggle in. To put it bluntly, I have no friends and most people think I'm a loser. It's half term now and I literally had a nightmare about PE last night and I honestly would rather bunk than go to PE again.
I am always the person who gets picked last. Usually I don't get picked at all. Most of the time, the teacher will ask everybody to get into groups of 4 and people would rather get into a group of 5 than let me into their group. So the teacher has to separate another group just to make space for me and then everyone (usually the popular people in the group) will get angry and do that thing where they don't say anything to me personally but they will laugh and roll their eyes with their friends about having a loser like me in their group. When we do things like basketball/netball, I am always unmarked and free yet nobody will pass it to me which makes me feel like the biggest and most unwanted social outcast that ever lived. In group work, everybody completely ignores me as though I'm invisible. In the changing rooms, I'm always that guy in the corner that has no mates and nobody talks to them.
I also had an incident with another teacher where they told me to take off my tracksuit bottoms and change into shorts and I refused because I have fairly severe self harm over my legs. I was quite polite to her and explained that I was cold and had personal reasons as to why I prefer to wear my tracksuit and not my shorts but she wasn't having any of it. Now she's determined to make my life hell and it feels like she hates me and wants to make me suffer just as much as the other students do.
Even when we don't do group work, I feel like I physically cannot do what they ask of me. Sometimes we will do dance or fitness routines where the teacher stands at the front and you have to copy what they do - I find this so humiliating and embarrassing that I can't bring myself to do it. I feel like everyone's watching me and laughing at me.
I already go to the school counselor (for mental health issues which I honestly believe were partially caused by this sh*thole of a school) and I told them about my PE issues. They just told me to stick it out for the last few months of year 11. I'm not prepared to do that because the level of distress and uncomfort it causes me is too high. My parents complained and my school says 'PE is in the curriculum, sorry'.

What can I do now?

Your teachers sound like bullies - as a teacher myself I'm shocked at their attitude. Get your parents to write to the PE department and copy it to the head of pastoral care and the Headteacher - get them to demand a meeting.

This needs sorting now - if the Head takes no notice them go to Governors and Ofsted.

Reply 21

MrKmas508

Original post by thecatwithnohat

There was a girl in my school who had very hairy legs and she told the p.e. that she was self conscious because she's shave in the morning and it would grow back by p.e. time and the teacher let her wear trackies!!!!

That's disgusting and sad at the same time. I feel so bad for her.

Reply 22

MrKmas508

Original post by Francis.C

Really, cus' I'm a complete opposite to a "chav"

Spoiler

Someone's sensitive, maybe he was only half right.

Reply 23

Masih ad-Dajjal

Original post by Francis.C

Really, cus' I'm a complete opposite to a "chav"

Spoiler

A fat kid who lifts everyday and has done so for over 2 years.

:smile:

Reply 24

Francis.C

Original post by Masih ad-Dajjal

A fat kid who lifts everyday and has done so for over 2 years.

:smile:

So why dislike the steeping stone/building block of fitness, PE, by stating its only chosen by "chavs" and those with "learning difficulties"?

Reply 25

kappaladin

Original post by Willdono

Am I meant to feel sorry for you?

I was literally just asking for advice on an issue that kind of upsets me? I'm not asking for sympathy, just advice...

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 26

Bupdeeboowah

Calling ihatePE for his definitive view on this.

Reply 27

Masih ad-Dajjal

Original post by Francis.C

So why dislike the steeping stone/building block of fitness, PE, by stating its only chosen by "chavs" and those with "learning difficulties"?

I don't dislike fitness, I dislike being told what to do by some ape who would fail an A level biology class if he had ever sat one.

Reply 28

dancing sloth

Original post by kappaladin

I was literally just asking for advice on an issue that kind of upsets me? I'm not asking for sympathy, just advice...

Understand this and know people who have had exactly the same trouble.

I think, as suggested, your parents should have a word with your GP and then with your Head (and only the Head).

I know people who have cunningly arranged music lessons to avoid PE (worked a treat but depends on the school).

But at base no school wants to give a pupil mental health issues by insisting on this sort of stuff. If you see it as a problem, it is a problem. Doesn't matter what other people think.
The school needs to get with this. And they will if pushed enough. :yep:

Reply 29

AlexS101

Original post by Masih ad-Dajjal

Lots of the chavs with learning difficulties did GCSE P.E.

Just because someone is not as intelligent as yourself, it doesn't mean that they have learning difficulties. If everyone's strong point was maths, and everyone became a doctor less people may die, but it wouldn't be long until the sewers all became blocked and you were waking through sh*t.

Reply 30

Masih ad-Dajjal

Original post by AlexS101

I don't care, P.E. was the biggest waste of time I have never been subject to in my life, I should never have been forced to take part in that.

Reply 31

doodle_333

OP I would always say it's better to challenge your anxieties rather than running away from them, but at the same time I do understand how you feel and ultimately if your anxieties are affecting your education as a whole it may be better to try and reduce them. In which case PE becomes less essential, you could potentially spend that time doing revision or something (although you should keep fit in your own time). I didn't take part in PE at school, I refused to take part or attend the lessons and eventually they agreed that it made more sense for me to be supervised doing something productive than skiving off somewhere. I somewhat regret being so difficult about things at school now as I don't think it helped me grow as a person or be a good person for that matter as I got used to throwing a strop and getting out of anything difficult. But at the time I don't think I could have coped with things being any other way. Are your teachers aware of your mental health difficulties? I don't really have any advice as I think it will come down to your teachers more than anything, if they are sympathetic and feel it would benefit you they might agree, if they don't understand or don't feel it would help you will just end up in detentions/excluded.

Reply 32

ImagineCats

I had the exact same problem with you. My teachers were adamant about shorts and during the summer not wearing a jacket which was worse. In year 11 I completely bunked and stayed in the toilet for the whole hour to revise, or sometimes (every 3 weeks maybe) I'd get dressed and go to the lesson, but then during the lesson I'd run out and go to the toilet and only return when I had to. One time a teacher came in the toilets shouting for me but I ignored her and she didn't do it since.

I just started year 12 so yaaaaayaya no more pe! Good luck though and sorry this is happening. I really think PE should be optional for this reason mostly- PE is the seed to so many embarrassing experiences that can really mess everything up in later life. All these people saying "get over it" etc have no idea what this is really like, nor have they experienced it to your level.

I developed the "meh, this time next year it'll all be different" and "we all die in the end" mentality, so now I just don't care and do whatever makes me happy :biggrin:

Reply 33

sunshine774

Why do people not like you? Are they just massive idiots? Do you fit in?
Has it been like this since yr 7?

GOOD LUCK!!! :h:

Reply 34

geriatriclolita

Original post by kappaladin

I actually disagree. In the 'real world' I will not have to do things like this. In the real world, only a f*cking idiot stays at a job which offers bad conditions and makes them feel like sh*t. And if you don't like your job, you leave it.
Thank you for the suggestion about the note though.

Glad that you didn't take his ignorance to heart.

Reply 35

John55

I'd say just refuse to go to PE, I used to have no friends in class and get constantly ridiculed, mostly by students but also a few teachers used to always pick on me because I was to shy to stand up to them, I really wish that I'd told them all to f%&k of rather than just sitting and taking their abuse. People saying you can't just keep hopping from job to job, OP isn't going to be treated badly in every job he ends up in when he's an adult, that's a stupid argument, most people are nice people, and it's not like employers wouldn't acknowledge personal reasons for different uniform so why should OP's school be any different.

Reply 36

Ella2b

Id suggest getting a drs note too, if your not doing PE as one of your GCSE's.
The anxiety and worry and the effect of on your mental health will not be conducive to preparing for exams.
Hope you can get this sorted

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Reply 37

Reue

It's PE, bunk it and do a few laps of the park at the weekend instead.

Reply 38

Ethereal21foreva

Original post by Bupdeeboowah

Calling ihatePE for his definitive view on this.

I really thought it was him, whom made that thread.

Reply 39

Katty3

Original post by kappaladin

Just don't go to P.E. skive off. If they ask, explain, but if they won't make your life easier by doing fairly minor things, such as letting you wear tracksuit bottoms instead of shorts, why on Earth should you make their life easier? You're not gaining anything from it, so why should you turn up? It seems to be damaging more than anything else.

I had a fairly horrible time in P.E. Being short and dyspraxic made me really popular in netball. (Note sarcasm) I never did get the rules, even though I played it for nine years. The only thing I ever got out of P.E. was chilblains.

The only way to get schools like yours to listen is to kick up as much fuss as possible until they give in for the sake of a quiet life. They will do eventually.

Whatever you do, don't stay at that school for sixth form.

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