Fecking sports day

That sounds like a “Yes, all people coming last are humiliating, can they not see themselves? Obviously it is a value I instill in my children.”

I am also of the opinion that any parent whining on the internet about sports day that has not contacted the school with a proposal of how to do it in a way your would be happy with needs to take a look at themselves.

No one is forced to do a park run or any other beginners class for sport. That's the main difference.

It's voluntary and competitive races etc during sports day should also be voluntary.

Do you think that people who come last are a humiliation who should stop embarrassing themselves. Let’s say at park run? Or any other beginners class for sport?

You are using the word humiliating but are you projecting?
Is it really a humiliation, or just a disappointment.

If an employer did what some of these PE teachers did they would find themselves hauled before a tribunal.

Agreed. I mean, if they marked the exams/ tests in front of the whole school and all the parents, then yes it would be comparable.

I do know the ones who are musical, because they choose to participate in the music evenings. I have no idea who isn't musical. The equivalent would be making every kid perform in the concert, even if they couldn't play/ were tone deaf.

I also have absolutely no idea who struggles with maths/art/whatever in DDs school. They don't publicise the results of their maths, etc, tests. I have no idea who is in what set other than DDs. They also don't publicise the individual GCSE/ A-level results.

So these comparisons don't hold up.

I have nothing against competition. I have nothing against learning through failure. This is not about protecting DD from that kind of stuff. I have nothing against sports day in principle. I do have an issue with the compulsory participation in sports day and the public humiliation that ensues for kids who are always the slowest/ poorly coordinated.

I would love to hear your teachers and class mates recollection of those times.

It is fascinating that you still have a chip on your shoulder about having to do something at school you weren’t good at, blaming everyone else, and have a total of zero insight into your own selfish motivations and behaviour.

Yes, the oh nooo what about the workplace posts are heroically stupid. The two are not remotely equivalent.

Not just sports day but everything about school sports is only geared to the kids who have a natural affinity for specific, limited team sports. Absolutely nothing about school sports helps kids without that natural affinity to get better at sports or learn to love sports in general.

I was unsporty in school and I thought I hated sports - I did hate hockey, netball and being yelled at to go faster/try harder by teachers I hated and my jolly hockey sticks peers. I also didn't give a shit so I'd go out of my way to make zero effort on sports day - walking the 100m, ducking under the high jump - and they soon learned not to make me do anything. I think on one cross-country I took a book, walked round a few corners, sat behind a tree and read it for a couple of hours, then walked back.

Fast forward to my adult life and on any given day I'm doing a home workout, playing a tennis match or running 20km. Oddly enough it turns out that I can be motivated to do sport and exercise when I'm not being yelled at by people who have no real interest in helping me get better!

The notion that individual pupil exams taken in class are as competitive and public as athletic competitions, done outside in front of all other pupils and their families, is absurd on its face.

Agreed. I mean, if they marked the exams/ tests in front of the whole school and all the parents, then yes it would be comparable.

I do know the ones who are musical, because they choose to participate in the music evenings. I have no idea who isn't musical. The equivalent would be making every kid perform in the concert, even if they couldn't play/ were tone deaf.

I also have absolutely no idea who struggles with maths/art/whatever in DDs school. They don't publicise the results of their maths, etc, tests. I have no idea who is in what set other than DDs. They also don't publicise the individual GCSE/ A-level results.

So these comparisons don't hold up.

I have nothing against competition. I have nothing against learning through failure. This is not about protecting DD from that kind of stuff. I have nothing against sports day in principle. I do have an issue with the compulsory participation in sports day and the public humiliation that ensues for kids who are always the slowest/ poorly coordinated.

If workplaces were holding competitions to which they invite the employees families and the whole company to spectate and then give prizes to the 'winners' then yeah, I'd probably take a duvet day too.

But obvs they're not. Because enforced public competition at school isn't equivalent to coping in the workplace. And as many, many responses to this thread indicate being made to do it doesn't instil resilience or grit or any of that total bullshit. It just makes those who always come last (and it is always the same ones) feel crap about themselves (physically) and hate organised sport.

I agree with this! And much more pressure on them.

All this 'the sporty kids are celebrated but the arty/maths/whatever else ones aren't... THAT IS LIFE. When a team wins the premier league, it's all over the news. When the Wimbledon final is on, it's got prime coverage. The Olympics? enough said. Does the world chess championships, impressive art exhibitions, maths competitions, spelling bees, and cultural stuff get the same attention? NO THEY DON'T. And those involved in them put up with it. So yes, this is a day for the sporty kids. Will the non sporty ones get the same attention for the things they are good at? Probably not. But that is life.

All this 'the sporty kids are celebrated but the arty/maths/whatever else ones aren't... THAT IS LIFE. When a team wins the premier league, it's all over the news. When the Wimbledon final is on, it's got prime coverage. The Olympics? enough said. Does the world chess championships, impressive art exhibitions, maths competitions, spelling bees, and cultural stuff get the same attention? NO THEY DON'T. And those involved in them put up with it. So yes, this is a day for the sporty kids. Will the non sporty ones get the same attention for the things they are good at? Probably not. But that is life.

How is it sabotaging it when it isn't stopping those who want to from taking part?

Sports day is what often leads to unsporty kids thinking that sport just isn't for them due to how the day can make unsporty kids feel. I know I didn't realise that actually, I do enjoy some sport, until many years after my school sports days. Sports day made me loathe sports.

It would be so easy to make it more inclusive and make the competitive sports optional.

"no one is making kids do maths or art or science competitively and in public"

Well I would argue exams are competitive and public so yes, yes they are.

DD is in yr 7 and I've just found out they still have sports day - in secondary. DD is unsporty, uncoordinated and uncompetitive. She hates it. I hated it. I still hate it. It's miserable for her. She tries her best and is very supportive of her mates. But it still makes her feel shit about herself and has done every year that she's had to do it. Despite all our positive reinforcement and conversations about taking part, blah di blah di blah... And I thought we were finally done with it (for her) when she left primary last year. But no...

She is active, gets movement and exercise in ways she enjoys, btw. So it's not about that. But it really hacks me off. No one is making kids do maths or art or science competitively and in public. So why is it ok to make them do this for sport?

Btw - I have a younger DC who is super sporty and fast. But they also hate sports day (finds it really stressful and gets very nervous).

Why do schools do this? Why is it ok to do this for sport but not other subjects? It's just bloody mean to unsporty/ uncoordinated kids...