Didn't think schools were this strict these days

It does affect their behaviour and language.
I think you would be shocked.
I taught for a long time and childrens' behaviour now has changed so much from when I first started teaching. It's very sad that nowadays many children lose their innocence at much earlier age than we did.
In fact this discussion has brought back some disturbing memories for me, so best for me to draw a line here.
Who would have thought a post about pants at PE would provoke so much discussion?

7-year-olds should have no self-consciousness about their bodies.
I don't know where you got the idea she's 7! She's actually in secondary school

Somebody else was talking about 7 year olds. At least I thought so.

Somebody else was talking about 7 year olds. At least I thought so.
Sorry - didn't realise. My DGD's 15 if that makes any difference

I was confused by 7yr old. I had read without commenting and then the other day came across the 7yr old bit thinking I must have got it wrong but couldn't be bothered to start again. I couldn't see the fuss for a 7yr old but I can for a 15yr old!

I'm very surprised that any 15 year old agreed to get undressed and appear in their underwear these days. Most of the ones I know would have spoken up and refused point blank. By that age they are usually very aware of their rights.

I too taught primary school children in the 60s who did PE in their underwear. I thought everyone did. For one thing many of the families I taught would have struggled to supply their child with a PE outfit. For the same reason it was bare feet not expensive trainers.

I think it was said that a small DGD was the size to a 7 year old, not that she was 7 years old.

This brings back unpleasant memories! We did PE in navy knickers and I can remember being panic stricken on realizing I had forgotten them. Had to get permission to use the phone in the secretary's office to ask mum to bring me a pair, thus avoiding a detention.

Also remember one of our PE teachers who would actually look down our pants to see if we were telling the truth if we said we couldn't do PE due to our period. Mortifying

Bella - if that’s true the teacher was so out of order they shouldn’t have been allowed to teach any child, anywhere.
Why should that be a valid reason for not taking part in the lesson anyway. I think your memory maybe deceiving you.

Elrel, I can assure you that my memory is absolutely fine. This teacher was renowned for 'checking' to make sure you were not trying to get out of the lesson.

Maybe you don't remember, or are too young to know that sanitary protection was very bulky and unreliable back then. It would have been very embarrassing to do gymnastics with a bulky pad on show, and swimming lessons were out unless you had graduated to tampons.

It is not something I would make up, I'm not a liar

That certainly was would never happen today.

Bellasnana that must have been truly mortifying, and I can well believe it. Times were different then, alas.

We did PE and games in the '50s wearing pads. We didn't go through the showers that week was the only difference.

I should add it was a communal corridor shower and we had only one lesson a week in the gym. We did country or Scottish dancing another day in normal school uniform (must have been sweaty!) and games outside in Aertex shirts and presumably shorts although I don't remember them except on older sporty girls, maybe when younger we played in our normal black gym tunics. In the gym we wore a little green Greek tunic called a 'gym garment' with matching knickers. This had to be made at home, pattern provided and fabric (rayon?) specified. Now I've outed myself, surely no other school had that!!

No gym tunic. We had gym knickers which no-one ever wore and 'divided skirts', basically like culottes and considered much more lady like than shorts. They were meant for games but we wore them for PE as well. Artex shirts as well and strangely enough your school jumper to keep you warm (No track suits then!). We also added as many scarves and gloves as we could get away with. It was freezing standing on the wing during hockey.

Bellasnan We had a PE mistress who did exactly as you describe. She also felt down our backs to make sure we were wet and had actually had a shower. ( open corridor type) We just threw a handful of water down our backs. We had stiff, serge culottes for games, with our name embroidered in chain stitch on the back waistband. Gym was navy bloomers and an Aertex shirt.

In the 1950s we just wore our usual black knickers for gym. Not special ones, but being the 1950s they were fairly substantial. I never felt self-conscious, just took it for granted. Having a period wasn’t a reason for getting out of games or gym, and for outdoor games we wore divided skirts, quite short, and those vile blue aertex shirts. No jumpers, gloves or scarves, whatever the weather. No showers. No wonder so many of us loathed any form of PE.

How old is the GC in question? Yes, I remember doing PE in my knickers also! But only when I was primary classes... we did have special thick navy knickers for PE come to think of it!! Everyone hated them but we just got on with it. If we forgot those we just did it in our own undies!

I don't think its acceptable nowadays to force kids to do PE in their undies (unless they want to) Maybe the child wanted to?

Anyway your heading says you didn't think schools were this strict nowadays......the school my GC go to definitely IS! If they have the wrong colour hair ribbons/slides they are asked to remove them! I thought it was ridiculous until it was explained that hair accessories had become something of a 'competition' so uniform was requested.

At my GDs school certain black shoes are uniform. As with hair accessories, trainers were something of a competition. Good ,I think to have a strict uniform code. Everyone knows where they are then.

Picking up on a comment made by Bellasnana I remember older girls throwing sanitary towels and tampons over the cubicle doors in my all girls grammar. Horrible memories.

I also remember some of the female PE staffs' behaviour being very "questionable" in their bid to check everyone used the showers.

Thank goodness that on the whole, times have changed for the better.(well I hope they have anyway).

I left school in 1964! There were no excuses for missing PE - forgot you kit - well do PE in your knickers then!

There seems to be a contradiction here - two summers ago our 13 year old grand-daughter was here on holiday. She was running around in very short shorts, no more than tight knicker. It seemed to be the fashion. She was going shopping dressed like that, no problem.
I was concerned about it (the old folk around here are rather conservative) and sugested to DiL that she wear jeans, which she did.
So why is the OP's situation shameful, and the other not?

Different people have different levels of what is acceptable and decent Fennel. My DGC wear ordinary shorts (not so short to show the bum) which is fine, but there is no way they would be seen in public wearing just their knickers or underpants. Likewise I wouldn't expect them to have to appear to the rest of their class/school like this. In my opinion no shorts means no PE.

Oh and for the record my DGC adore PE and sports of any kind so not having shorts would NEVER be a deliberate thing.

I read that this thread is on Twitter be careful talking about your knickers
So how much of this thread is on Twitter?