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A mum is calling on teachers to scrap outdoor PE lessons in the rain after claiming a school forced her child to play netball in the cold and wet.
Donnamarie Lorraine says her 12-year-old daughter was left "distressed" after she was made to do the lesson in poor weather at the school in Chatham.
The youngster had forgotten her PE kit for the netball session last week at Walderslade Girls' School and was asked to take part in her school shoes.
Mum-of-two Donnamarie has since complained to the school about the incident involving her daughter, Robyn.
She said: "Her school shoes were absolutely soaking wet. She was wearing a T-shirt and it was quite cold.
"A few of the other girls forgot their jumpers. They asked if they could wear their school blazers and the teacher said no as they didn't want them ruined in the rain.
"I said, 'well if that's the case, why did they have to do it in the rain?'"
Donnamarie admits Robyn is "forgetful" and said she was unable to to drop off her kit for the lesson last week.
She said she called the school in Bradfields Avenue afterwards to complain and was told they didn't have the facilities to do netball indoors, which is why it was held outdoors.
"I still don't think they should have been held outside whatsoever," Donnamarie added.
"She was so distressed, she was shaking. She was really upset about it by the time she got back.
"In this day and age, they shouldn't be doing PE in the rain."
Ewa Eddy, the deputy headteacher at Walderslade Girls School: “We were not made aware of any distress from Robyn or Mrs Lorraine and had we known she would have been excused from the PE lesson.
"For the third year running, we have had a group of very popular trainee teachers from Melbourne’s Monash University and PE trainee Brooke Hollands offered one last netball match before she left.
"It was an opportunity that none of our girls wanted to miss and because there was just a bit of drizzle the lesson went ahead.
"The health and safeguarding of our girls is always a priority and we understand that the majority of the students enjoyed the exercise.”
