To think schools should think more about the athletically challenged on Sports Day?

[BeeInYourBonnet]

It just seems like they are set up to fail, which makes them hate sport and sports day for the rest of their lives!

My DD is yet again in the sack race and skipping race.
A. She can't really skip so it will be a disaster.
B. The sack race is like some kind of medieval torture.

She was DESPERATE to be in the sprint or obstacle race, but apparently you have to rank top three in the practice to be in those races.

The sack race however is the 'didn't make the grade' race. It's a great idea isn't it? - let's take the least athletic, make them jump for 50m in a sack, with the almost 100% chance that they are going to end up face down in turf at some stage. That should motivate them.

I feel so sorry for DD, as shes been in tears. I just feel like saying to the school to just let her run, if she comes last she comes last, but at least she won't be traumatised (again) from getting caught up in a skipping rope or going arse over tit in a sack!

There is a child at DDs school who is fantastically sporty. She plays every team sport, plays for sports teams outside of school, takes part in every sports day and wins every race she is in. She's ace.

Sports is the only thing she excels at. She has numerous SENs and struggles with all lessons. She is an absolutely lovely kid and every sports day everyone cheers for her to win.

Maybe your child is good at something else OP. Maybe she wins class awards for her reading or writing. Some of the 'sports day winners' will only have that.

I was unbelievably rubbish at sport at school. I hated sports day.

But, it was only one part of school, a fairly small part. (PE lessons were much worse and they were every week).

I don't really think there is anything that school could have done to make sports day less unpleasant for me. It was a good learning experience that sometimes you have to do things you hate.

My dd wasnt bothered, she said someone has to come last and might as well be her. She crossed then line with a huge grin on her face,while one little madam was having a tantrum because she came second.

Oh gosh, I was the child in the sack. I agree with Through that it's good for children to be able to show off their talents. The difference between sports day and music evenings is that schools tend not to force a tone deaf child to sing a solo with all their friends and families watching.

I'd also wager that in general terms you can get through life reasonably healthily without singing or being in a play. Conversely, I'd say that getting to middle age and still being unable to think about partaking in any kind of sport due to school sports probably isn't that healthy.

I'm on the fence. I think sports day is a great chance for children to shine who may not get to shine elsewhere and that everybody should get to experience being both good and bad at things in public.

But they should be inclusive.

At our school the events all have A, B and sometimes C and D finals depending on how popular the event is. So nobody looks stupid.

My DD1 is gutted to have qualified for the A final in the 100m this year because she usually comes 1st or 2nd in the B final and is likely to come last in the A final! She isn't very sporty at all but excels academically and in the Arts.

Whereas my DD2 would be gutted if she didn't qualify for an A final. She excels at sport but struggles in Maths.

There are ways of doing it better surely. E.g. as Fleecy has mentioned.
I challenge anyone to watch there DC still trying to finish the sack race after falling over 10 times, getting totally tangled up, and trying to smile through it, and not feeling like you want to just run over, pick them up and carry them over the finish line yourself.

And there isn't a comparison with being good at music, unless you expect someone with no ear or skill for music at all to stand up in front of an audience and sing/play an instrument. Which you don't.

And there is plenty of chance for the sporty to get recognition in cluster school sports events for example.

YANBU about them seperating the kids to do different sports based on ability, that seems a bit elitist for a primary. Just let them all have a crack at it, it's meant to be fun. Sorry your DD won't get to do what she wants.

I do think it's okay though for the children that are good at sports to be allowed to be good at it and rewarded as such, just as those who are good academically, creatively etc are. The competitive element doesn't bother me as long as it's not reception/eyfs and maybe Y1 who might not 'get it'. Someones always upset if they don't win no matter what the event - I've seen kids distraught about pass the parcel

I feel your pain WellTidy. My son was not diagnosed with dyspraxia until he was nine. He can now skip, although not very well, and certainly not with a rope!
But sports day means anxiety and tears as he fails so publicly, in front of all the school and all the parents.
He feels he lets his team down.
Sporting success is celebrated far more enthusiastically than academic success all the time. Children doing outside sports clubs get certificates presented to them assembly, and those who do very well get mentioned in the school newsletter.
We'd never make children who couldn't spell or read humiliate themselves in public, in front of assembled school and parents, but somehow Sports Day is crucial to their wellbeing as rounded children.

Our school has both individual competitive races and more lighthearted team games for each year group in their house teams, so everybody gets to take part in something without being 'shown up'. It works brilliantly for us.

Often dc who are good at sport are not academic and this is their chance to shine. Don't begrudge them one day in the year!!

Our school separates kids into races of kids roughly the same ability. Then they will all do javelin, throwing bean bags, long jump together at the same time so there's no focus on one dc.

What's a cluster school sports event btw? We don't have those. Sports day is the ONLY day in the year for our sporty kids to shine.

I couldn't care less if DD comes last. And I don't think she's desperately bothered (although would love a medal). My main issue is the fecking sack race ( and the skipping for a child who's uncoordinated). Its cruel. End of.

I have a child in my class who isn't very good at maths or literacy. He is the best athlete in the class. Let him have his moment of being the best. He sits through maths every day seeing others find it easy and he doesn't complain.

It would be even more obvious to your daughter that she wasn't good at sport by sprinting against the best! The point of having the less athletic race together is so one of them well get a chance to win and it won't be as obvious they aren't that great at sport as they are against similar people.

Life is one big competition and we all have strengths and weaknesses. We need to learn that and sports day is a very good way to do so if run properly.

My elder son is very bright but completely unsporty and hates sports day. I ask him to imagine how it'd feel to be rubbish at maths but have to do it every day. It's one day per year and gives kids who maybe don't shine day in day out an opportunity to feel good.

It's a sports day for the local group of primary schools, that children compete to enter (but can do so inintially in normal pe lessons). The top athletes from the primary 'rounds' go on to compete against the best from the other local primaries. Lots of opportunity for sporty kids to shine, that don't involve sack race ridicule for the in athletic!!

One year it got postponed three times due to rain.They ran out of days in the end so they didn't have one that year. Result.

That wasn't meant to sound that smug

If the school tried to make my dyspraxic DS do skipping and sack races I would take him out for the day in a huffy parental flounce.

A million times yes to what MineIsAGinAndTonic said re making children who couldn't spell or read humiliate themselves in public - it would never happen, and I can't imagine many schools forcing them to do so in an effort to make them more 'well rounded'.

And there isn't a comparison with being good at music, unless you expect someone with no ear or skill for music at all to stand up in front of an audience and sing/play an instrument. Which you don't.

They do in our school. Not all the time of course. But everyone takes part in sports day, everyone takes part in class plays and everyone takes part in the leavers' concert. Just like everyone does exams. All in for everything.

Obviously there are other, more exclusive events in all those areas too.

Also isn't it a bit of a cliché that people are either clever OR good at sport?
Fwiw, my DD is not very good at maths or spelling, so doesn't fit the label.
It also seems that lots of the athletic children in her class are generally quite high achievers.

The more I think about it the more I think my DC's infant school had it right, it all happened without the parents there watching. It is the big crowd watching that makes it all the more awkward for those who are less suited to sports.

For those saying 'let them have their chance to shine', your examples of children who struggle academically aren't really comparable. Those children don't get humiliated in front of the whole school along with their parents/grandparents/aunties/uncles etc do they?

I completely agree that they should be allowed to shine in sports but you wouldn't put a child who struggled in maths in front of all those people and ask them, for example, to recite times tables they can't recite. Why is it different with sports?

(And I say that as a parent of DC who are reasonably sporty)

Those saying it's the one day for sporty children to shine, I'm presuming they do PE lessons all year round just as they do maths, English etc. Why is shining in those lessons not enough?

My DS is academic (I suppose) and has no confidence in his athletic ability, he said to me the other day that he would not volunteer for the 100 m sprint race as he didn't want to 'let the class down'. He's only 8 and seems to already have pigeonholed himself, despite my objection. We often walk 4 miles a day for the school run and he runs up some of the hills on the route so I know he can run and is fit as a result of the walking. Well today was sports day and he was actually chosen for the 100 metre sprint - he won it and was up against a child that is known to be 'sporty'. It has done his self confidence the world of good with regards to his opinion of his 'sporting ability' and I'm relieved as I think children tend to be categorized at a very young age these days and it isn't particularly helpful. He's considered a 'studious' type in the class and I think it's to the detriment of other stuff. I think it's something he's obviously good at and if he believes he's competent at this age, he'll continue to partake in sport and this helps in maintaining good health as an adult.

The school my kids attend give ribbons to 1st, 2nd and 3rd but everyone gets points which go towards their "house". It is the one day of the year my ds who is more athletic gets to shine, he isnt very academic and has dyslexia, and actually his friends do know and are aware that he isnt the brightest particularly when doing group work so yes, often he is made to feel stupid infront of his friends (even though it is unintentionally). Kids dont have to be the best at everything

Well i will be doing a little rain dance for this time next week!