AIBU? School says sports day on Saturday is compulsory

[weekendsareforfamily]

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

[WindDoesNotBreakTheBendyTree]

Ok, didn't see the thing about the years notice
Obvs this is a big community-of-the-school thing. My kids would want to go. So yeah, I'd probably make the effort for a one-off.
Not if I was also expected to go to a proms in the playing field, fete, play, achievement assembly, school fair etc etc within the surrounding fortnight (as at DCs school)
However, in general I feel young children are in school enough of the time and need days off. And as have 3 kids priorities often conflict. And take general issue with the idea that school can tell wee kids and their families how to spend their free time.

[my2bundles]

Mesmerising who are you to say that spirits day should take priority over the other activities that other people's children take part in? Who are you to say that spurts day should take priority over someone else's child's swimming lesson? Like I said my son is part of a club for his chosen spirt, yes most Saturday's are practise but practise is equally as important to him as a grading. Get rf your high horse and stop trying to organise other people's children's priorities.

[BishopBrennansArse]

Heh.
Bollocks to that.

[WindDoesNotBreakTheBendyTree]

And the receptionist needs to wind her neck in and lay off the use of the word compulsory. As it isn't true.

[BitOutOfPractice]

Where's my Most Sanctimonious Post of The Day certificate? I must get it written up in italic writing and popped in a frame for @mrsm43s

[BluthsFrozenBananas]

Since when has doing stuff with your children at weekends been called ‘enrichment activities’? I thought enrichment activities were when zoo keepers stuffed peanut butter into bits of bamboo for the monkeys to find.

And sports day on a Saturday? Fuck that noise.

[BitOutOfPractice]

Make your mind up my2bundles! Which is most important? Spirits day? Spurts Day? Spirts Day? Or Sports Day?

Those are my favourite autocorrects for ages. Thank you!

[my2bundles]

😝Hmmmmmm spirits day, but only for adults 😜

[mrsm43s]

Ha Ha, no not at all, don't work in Education at all.

I am just truly bemused that with one year's notice a parent can't make the effort to turn up to one single Saturday event. Shows a massive lack of commitment to the school..

And ChocolateWombat is saying what I feel, in a much better way than me, so listen to her, not me!

[ChocolateWombat]

The school and the staff are putting on an event they feel is important....it only really works well if the vast majority of people are there.
They have given a years notice so people can plan ahead and they don't keep asking people to come to things on Saturday. Forget the word 'compulsory' because they clearly can't force people to come, but instead consider if you want to be a supportive parent of the school. Really, that is what this comes down to.
Are you going to say 'it's my right to do what I want in a Saturday and I don't want to go to Sports Day which was arranged a year ago, so I won't go, as I can do what I like'
Or
'I want to support the school my kids go to. This might not be my top choice of thing to do on Saturday, but because they did give us a year of notice and have out a lot of time and effort into it, I will go and show my support'

Your choice of which if the 2 attitudes to show.

Do not fool yourself into thinking the swimming lessons mean it is and was impossible for you to go. There has been a year off notice. Most people will miss the odd swimming lesson. If you don't go, acknowledge it as being becaue you didn't want to and chose not to support the school in the once a year event it put on for the children. In the end it is your choice.

[my2bundles]

OP ignore the blatant guilt tripping and do what is right for you. Missing a Saturday spirits day does not mean you don't support your child's school.

[m0therofdragons]

Haha not a chance would I attend. Saturday is family time and week days during the term is school time. This would never wash at our primary.

[heatwave2018]

Don’t attend and enjoy the swimming lesson! Besides it's too hot!

[BitOutOfPractice]

my2bundles I was just wondering what your phone changing sports to spirits and spurts says about you!

Honestly it made me really chuckle.

[m0therofdragons]

@ChocolateWombat if they deem it that important then it should be during school time.

[Kingkiller]

Wtf? A state school holding a compulsory sports day on a Saturday?! That's ridiculous. I'm surprised the staff are willing to turn up, never mind the kids and parents!

[lardymclardy]

We just add it to the list of enrichment activities we do with our children at the weekends (riding, swimming, tennis, sailing, theatre and museum trips etc).....

And all of us other parents that attend school functions during the week, including after school hours clearly have enrichment weekends consisting of B&H, cider, pub gardens and xbox...

OR we decide to take them to the pre-arranged and pre-paid activity such as swimming, in the hope that they become strong swimmers and have a skill that could potentially save their life.

I don't know about you, but when I've been in some tricky situations I've never wished I had a sack so I could climb in it and hop off at 'speed'.

[my2bundles]

Bitoutofpractise 😝😝😆

[LadyLauraOver]

I took my two out of school this afternoon so they missed sports day (afternoon). Far too hot to be sat around in the sun bored out of their minds for 3 hours. They were so happy. Their friends were so jealous. We signed out. No one queried it. Private school.

[PolkerrisBeach]

Chocolate Wombat has it nailed.

A year of notice. Up to you what attitude you take over this. It's only your kids who will miss out if you choose to play the martyr and not go.

[ChocolateWombat]

If you want to see the difference between schools which perform well and those that don't, have a look at the level of parental support for things like Sports Day....yes, even ones on a Saturday, when a whole year of notice has been given.

Have a look too at the level of support given by parents to things like a school fair.

In some schools, parents want to be supportive and don't see any school event as a cheeky imposition and the school as an enemy trying to tell them what to do. Those parents are also very busy, have other commitments and find it hard to respond to last minute requests, but given some notice will make some adjustments if possible and be there.

In other schools, parents quite simply aren't supportive and see the school as at worst the enemy and if not this bad, as some kind of cheeky organisation asking them for much more interest and support than they are willing to give.....so when the school puts on a talk about a topic of relevance for families with children of that age (with 6 months notice) only 3 parents turn up, or only 25% of parents go to parents evening, or the school knows it won't be able to put on many school trips because there wi t be volunteers to help boost the adult numbers, or a school fair cannot work or cannot be a bigger event because there isn't the parental support.

The OPs school clearly thinks Sports Day has a lot to offer to the kids....the staff would rather have the day at home, but they will go and work becaue they think it's worthwhile. They also think the parent body is supportive enough to make this work. Perhaps lots of people will decide that even though they had a year of notice, they will flex their right to say 'you can't make us' and instead go shopping, or go to their regular actitivity becaue they haven't been supportive of the school enough to think ahead and factor in that this event would be on. And perhaps next year the school won't offer it becaue there wasn't enough support.

We want our children to be at good schools. As parents we contribute hugely to those schools becoming or remiNing good through the level of support we show to things like sports days. If we don't support them and think that's okay or normal, then we have to accept the knock-on effects onto the whole experience.

[SunnyShades]

I have no issue with schools arranging compulsory weekend events, especially with so much notice.

After all the school do to support your DC, the least you could do is support them here.

[lardymclardy]

The OPs school clearly thinks Sports Day has a lot to offer to the kids

It clearly does. Ours had a great time this year in spite of the heat (I was melting mind, but still attended and supported) but why do it on a weekend and not in school time, or even of an evening in this weather when it's cooler. Is it purely a parental attendance thing?

[Bibesia]

the staff would rather have the day at home, but they will go and work becaue they think it's worthwhile.

The reality is more likely that they will go in unwillingly because they will be aware that it will be a big black mark on their record if they don't.