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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU? School says sports day on Saturday is compulsory

457 replies

weekendsareforfamily · 03/07/2018 14:55

My son is in year one, so second sports day now. Last year it was scheduled on a Saturday but the weather was bad so was cancelled and rearranged for a Tuesday afternoon. This year it is planned for this coming Saturday. My boy has a swimming lesson from 09:30, the children have to be in school for 09:00.
On the FB group chat someone has asked whether they have to go as they are working and cannot get the child to school. The receptionist has replied saying yes as its a compulsory day and we have all known about this since September last year.
Now I was planning on popping into the reception to say my boy wouldn't make it because he's swimming but now I am worried I will be told tough and that I knew about this so should be bringing him in. I am worried I will be fined if he doesn't attend but it's a Saturday?! Do I tell the truth and risk a fine? Do I lie and make up another reason? Do I lose out on the money I have already paid for his swimming lessons (we have already lost out on two from going away at last half term)? Arrrgh
WWYD? Thanks

OP posts:
FrayedHem · 03/07/2018 20:02

I think the procedure at Sunny's school involves memory eraser devices, a la Men in Black.

BackforGood · 03/07/2018 20:02

I would be raising questions about why the school thought it was acceptable to make the school staff work on a Saturday. Angry

NotAgainYoda · 03/07/2018 20:02

Bibensia

Nah. It involves concrete blocks and sleeping with the fishes

Taylor22 · 03/07/2018 20:03

@ikeepaforkinmypurse I attend 3 football practices, 2 rugby practices and a swimming practice a week for my 4 & 2 year old while still working full time. So fuck off telling me I don't have a supportive attitude.

School on a Saturday is ridiculous. They have 5 full days to work in a useless sports day where more than likely there's no actual competition and 'everyone's a winner'.
Two days a week families get to enjoy. I would not allow school to infringe on that.

BewareOfDragons · 03/07/2018 20:04

I won't go into detail on here but the procedures we use for removal are carefully designed to ensure they are legal and cannot be challenged.

But that's besides the point, as most parents don't know their legal rights in any case.

Wow.

You sound vile, just vile.

SunnyShades · 03/07/2018 20:06

@BewareOfDragons

In the nicest possible way, I couldn't care less whether your DS had a selection weekend or a trip to the moon. As long as he was a pupil at my school, he'd be expected to attend any and all events, including on Saturdays.

School is more important than a 'selection process'.

UnimaginativeUsername · 03/07/2018 20:06

I love that posters are snippily taking the receptionist's stance that you've known about this since September but haven't questioned why on God's earth a school needs to run its sports day on a Saturday.

It is MN. Of course there are some posters who have spotted Rules and become fixated on them. It’s like everything else with schools: don’t question why they need to be wearing purple polka dot blazers, have their hair cut only in the Kim jong-il style and have to wear regulation knickers, or why the school have set a summer holiday project that will require 15 hours work a week for the whole 6 weeks; if you don’t like it, you should simply use your entirely free and unconstrained choice and go to another school.

Then there are the posters who are reinventing the law entirely to fit in with their idea of the importance of School Rules.

Bibesia · 03/07/2018 20:08

Sunny, your school can expect all it wants. It cannot permanently exclude children if their parents refuse to support Sports Day on a Saturday. Because it is in its turn expected to obey the law. Refusing to do so would set an appalling example.

CaptainBrickbeard · 03/07/2018 20:09

Why, if you were making up a persona on the internet, would it be one that had no grounding in reality and was also a total dickhead?

UnimaginativeUsername · 03/07/2018 20:09

In the nicest possible way, I couldn't care less whether your DS had a selection weekend or a trip to the moon. As long as he was a pupil at my school, he'd be expected to attend any and all events, including on Saturdays.

School is more important than a 'selection process'.

Sure, your child might qualify for team GB in the youth olympics, but the bake sale is much more important.

Oh Sunny. You are such a card!

Clairetree1 · 03/07/2018 20:10

There is a LOT of misunderstanding on this thread.

A school plans a certain number of school days per year.

They can be of ANY day of the week. It is completely normal for those days to be made up of all weekdays and one Saturday.

The Saturday will be to make it more likely that parents can attend, especially for a sports day, fete or concert.

The Saturday is legally a compulsory school day to the exact same extent as any other school day, if its in the calendar.

You will, if you add it up, find you have one less weekday somewhere throughout the year.

It is normal, it is compulsory, it is advertised in advance, in the annual calendar, same as any other day, the registers will be taken as normal, it will be recorded as an unauthorised absence if you are not there.

To all those people saying it can't be made compulsory, you are quite simply wrong.

The only children I have ever known have their absence authorised on a Saturday school day have been orthodox Jews or seventh day adventists.

my2bundles · 03/07/2018 20:10

Sunny shades you see that's where you are going wrong. Any deputy head worth their salt would most certainly support a child who stood a chance getting selected for a national sports team. Their acomplishments would be celebrated in school and they would be given the opportunity to show medals etc during show and tell or during assembly. For someone who claims to be a deputy head your understanding of how schools support pupils is astounding.Bewareof Dragons I wish your child all the luck in the world, you must be very proud x

UnimaginativeUsername · 03/07/2018 20:10

I think I’m most schools, the HT would be delighted if one of the kids was being considered for the space programme. Not in sunny’s though.

HarveySchlumpfenburger · 03/07/2018 20:10

The one thing I’d be almost certain about Back is that any school where the SLT Express the same contempt for parents as shown in Sunny’s last post is probably treating their staff like shit as well.

Be interesting to know where the OP’s school were clawing this half day back from if they aren’t taking it off the 190 days. Presumably it’s come off an inset day.

DiegoMadonna · 03/07/2018 20:10

It goes both ways, tbf.

"School on a Saturday? But... it's a Saturday! I don't care if my kid desperately wants to go, would I fuck take him to school on a Saturday, they can fuck right off, how fucking dare they tell me what to do with my free time on a Saturday?? What is this, Nazi Germany??"

Mumsnet doesn't like the middle ground.

GameOfMinges · 03/07/2018 20:11

You will, if you add it up, find you have one less weekday somewhere throughout the year.

Unless, of course, there isn't. As OP has suggested.

Clairetree1 · 03/07/2018 20:12

There will be, she will be down one day somewhere else, like before Christmas, or after Easter, or similar

cloudyweewee · 03/07/2018 20:14

I'm not being smug, I'm just astounded that with a full years notice, a parent cannot prioritise one single Saturday for a school event, and considers it less of a priority than a swimming lesson! Such a lack of commitment and co-operation, and I'm not surprised that teachers are so demoralised.

Are you for real?? Every single member of staff that will have been forced to attend that Sports Day would much rather be doing something they enjoy at the weekend. Fortunatley, I work for a Head who has a life.

PerspicaciaTick · 03/07/2018 20:14

It does sound as though sunny's school enjoy exercising their imaginary power for the sake of it - probably because they get off on the sense of righteousness. A bit like poison pen letter writers, frotting away while they think about the upset they cause.

cloudyweewee · 03/07/2018 20:15

Fortunately

FrayedHem · 03/07/2018 20:16

The OP said it was scheduled for a Saturday last year but cancelled and done on the Tuesday. Wonder if they added a half day to make up for it?

FrayedHem · 03/07/2018 20:21

My DC school haven't officially announced sports day (no letter/text not on online calendar) and it's next week!

LuluJakey1 · 03/07/2018 20:23

Your child can not be compelled to attend school on a Saturday. It is your choice. Nor can he lose an attendance mark if he does not attend. Attendance marks in England are given for the 193 days that schools are open during the weekdays between 1st Sept and end of summer term; not for weekends.

UnimaginativeUsername · 03/07/2018 20:23

How do your school feel about hospital appointments or admissions Sunny? Presumably you’d involve your illegal transfer procedures if Johnny in Y9 dared to need his appendix removed.

Bibesia · 03/07/2018 20:24

I suspect that if the school told parents about this last September, it was one of a long list of dates and there would be no reason for parents to realise that it was on a Saturday unless it was specifically pointed out. If that is the case, I don't think the school can suggest that validates this idea.

If it's hot, I strongly suspect the sports day will be a bit of a damp squib anyway with lots of families opting for swimming and/or paddling pools in the back garden instead.