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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Or is sport like this in most comprehensive schools?

21 replies

Miladymilord · 26/09/2018 09:54

dd is in year 8 at a good comprehensive. She's very sporty. There are lots of clubs advertised and teams put together for matches, which she loves.

So this term she's been in the hockey team, the swimming team for a county relays competition, a girls football match and a cross country race. Except none of them have happened. They've all been cancelled on the day due to staff shortages. This morning she got all her hockey stuff together and again, the match is cancelled. She's been due to compete in 7 things for the school this term and one has happened.

I have even offered to help but had no reply. Dd has said my mum is happy to help out and they've said thank you but nothing else.

Is this normal because its crap! Particuarlly as the school has a load of guff on the website about how sporty it is.

Its made worse as dd2 is an academic scholar at an independent school and the amount of sport there is insane.

OP posts:

Trillis · 26/09/2018 12:15

Not normal for me. DS in several school teams, and I don't recall any cancellations. Then again, he doesn't always tell me when he's playing.

AlexanderHamilton · 26/09/2018 12:18

Not normal. Lots of cancellations in winter months but usually due to the weather.

IChangedMyNameBcozIWasHigh · 26/09/2018 12:21

Not normal for me as a kid (I finished school in 2013) or as a secondary teacher in a state comp (started 2016 on teach first)

Tissunnyupnorth · 26/09/2018 12:23

Not normal, I’ve only ever known one fixture to be cancelled & that was because of snow. You need to email the head of PE, this is their remit.

BigSandyBalls2015 · 26/09/2018 12:25

Nope not normal, my two DDs were in loads of teams at their comp and I don't remember many occasions when things were cancelled.

KERALA1 · 26/09/2018 12:30

Not normal but even if stuff goes ahead the sport at DDs state girls school is not great.

It has dawned on me just in time that if you want sport "proper" you need to get into a good out of school club and pay for it. This seems to be the main difference between state and private schools. Luckily DD has got into a proper hockey club with training, leagues, matches. Full of private school kids. Get googling and sign her up to one in her favourite sport if she is sporty. Sadly ime in this age of austerity if you want good sport you have to pay for it.

RedSkyLastNight · 26/09/2018 12:41

Not normal here either - is your school short of PE teachers? Someone off sick?

steppemum · 26/09/2018 12:45

most goes ahead at ds school.

you said she is year 8, what was year 7 like?

It sounds to me as if they have a key PE staff member who is currently off sick, or having a lot of days off training or something, and they can't cover it.
Or the school is doing things like compulsory staff training after work, and so staff member has to be there.

I would write a letter, dd has been delighted to be involved in x,y and z, and has been really disappointed that so far all of them have been cancelled. I understand the pressure on staff these days and would like to offer to be an accompanying adult where needed, I have/ can get DBS check etc.
As a parent it is disappointing to see the gap between what is promised and what is transpiring, and I hope it is a temporary problem.

etc etc

I would send that to the head of PE with a cc to the headteacher.

Seniorcitizen1 · 26/09/2018 12:54

Are you suggesting that this is coomon in comprehensives but would be an exception in grammar/private? If so YABU

KERALA1 · 26/09/2018 13:01

Why is that unreasonable? The sport at the local private schools my friends children attend is 100% better than the sport at my dds state school. They spend much more time on it, have better teachers and are very focussed and committed, the standards and expectations are higher. I would like to be PC and say that is not the case but the reality is - well it is.

arethereanyleftatall · 26/09/2018 13:05

That's not the norm round here, state schools are good for sport.
Mind, like another poster has pointed out, if you're serious about sport, external clubs are the only way, whether you're private or state. Round my way the order (from good to bad) of decent sport is 1. External club 2. Private school 3. State school

Enko · 26/09/2018 13:09

Not normal only ever had cancellations due to weather. DS plays rugby for his school and is on the athletics team he has not had any cancellations this year and last year I can only recall 2 due to the snowy weather.

DD3 is on foot ball and girls rugby team they have had a few cancellations but usually due to them not getting enough people together

skippy67 · 26/09/2018 13:11

Not the norm at our school. Cancellations are usually. due to weather.

Original poster

Miladymilord · 26/09/2018 14:20

She does sport out of school already. I don't think there's any argument that indie sport is better than state, although the one match she did play in they beat the local indie school (it was their b team but still!). OK I might mention it and ask why.

OP posts:

HardofCleaning · 26/09/2018 14:25

No not normal, my first suggestion was for you to volunteer to help but you already have! Very frustrating!

2BoysandaCairn · 26/09/2018 14:35

Not normal here either.
Boys play football, rugby league, cricket, althelics and basketball.
Girls football, hockey, netball, athelics and touch rugby.
Only games cancelled due to weather.
We play local leagues, regional and national cup games too.
We even had rl year 9 nation champions in 2014 and they lost in year 10 final too.
Actually only teams to ever to cancel on us was the 2 local privates. Plus they refuse to play is when drawn in local cup, after we beat them in previous year.
Couldn't possibly lose to local "rifraf" when parents pay £11000 to buy the "best at everything"
Finally it's rubbish that most internationals went to private schools. Most of the internationals have top quality training out of schools and because they are talent spotted and play for top teams. School has nowt to do with it.

Satsumaeater · 26/09/2018 14:55

In DS' school it depends on the sport. For example, football and netball seem to be very well supported, there are lots of matches etc.

Athletics is ok, he gets to do a bit in the summer.

He likes cricket but gets to play 1-3 matches each summer. So not great at all.

He does most of his sport out of school.

puffyisgood · 26/09/2018 15:00

agree with @steppemum - responsibility normally falls on a couple of individuals, a systematic issue with just one person could easily impact loads of fixtures.

Original poster

Miladymilord · 26/09/2018 15:02

To be fair dd2s private school don't think the state school is riff raff! They know that a lot of them go to good out of school clubs and are decent players.

The school twitter account is full of boys rugby which seems to happen three times a week!

OP posts:

Original poster

Miladymilord · 26/09/2018 15:04

I wrote almost that exact email in year 7

It's really annoying - dd was so excited about a swimming competition, got a team together then the school said that they had noone to take them.

They have ten members of staff for sport/PE!!

OP posts:

KERALA1 · 26/09/2018 15:26

Its one of the things I have had to get my head round as a state school parent. If you want "extras" that are decent you need to be proactive about sourcing them and pay for them yourself. They do do sport at DDs school but it does get cancelled and is nowhere near the level of the local private schools or private clubs - they have to cater for the lowest level so start from scratch all the time.

Likewise languages in primary - we got a tutor all the way through for both ours as they barely did any proper French lessons at school.

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