To be absolutely gutted the school have received a complaint about this race?

[WinTakenAway]

Sports day last week.

It was the first one since Covid, and was so well run.

Every child had to do everything but they were all awarded a house point for taking part, 2 points for a 1st place only.

My DD came last in all but one race. The race she won was her against 1 other child in her class whose in a wheelchair.

This is the race they’ve received a complaint about.

According to the parent complaining it was unfair!

It wasn’t the parent of the child in the wheelchair who complained as the parent was heard praising the HT for including him in everything.

My DDs had the win taken off her, as the complaint was upheld by the governors. Even though the boy himself wasn’t bothered (he’d won 2 races himself).

DD needed that win, she hates school, is dyslexic and dyspraxic so struggles with even the basics. She needed that win to go into school with confidence and have something to boast about (trust me she’s the type of child that needs to be able to talk about her achievements as she’s always complaining and comparing herself).

It’s a mixed class of Y1 and 2s, so the other child was at most 7. And neither of the DC involved cared, as I said the boy had already won 2 races, my DD just needed a little boost.

Why can’t people just leave alone and let the teachers make a decision that’s best for the class?

Ahh were parent governors present at the event?

They still shouldn't get involved, they're supposed to be strategic not operational, but I wonder if that's where the complaint came from?

The school shouldn’t have even mentioned this to your DD. A bit of grovelling and assurances it wouldn’t happen again or something (although what’s the alternative - the child using a wheelchair just isn’t allowed to compete at all?) should have sufficed.

I don’t think it was unfair.

There is sports day and only one child who uses a wheelchair. You could either deal with it by

a) not having a sports day
b) having a sports day without any running races
c) somehow get enough wheelchairs so everyone races in them
d) not allow the child in a wheelchair to take part in running races because he can’t run
e) allow the child in the wheelchair to take part in whatever he wants to the best of his ability.

The last option is the least othering, especially since the child clearly has enough skill in his chair to be in a with a chance of winning.

Oscar Pistorius always competed against able-bodied kids in school and fought to compete against able-bodied athletes in adulthood (obviously not condoning his crime). I think it's a shame that the boy in the wheelchair can't also be treated the same as other kids.

This is what's confusing me - the boy had won races already so competing doesn't seem obviously unfair to me?!

My understanding was that wheelchair users don't compete in running races because actually it can be faster in a wheelchair - same with the springy prosthetic legs?

Primary school governor here as well as parent of child at (different) primary school where I just watched their sports day. Incredibly unlikely this has got to the Governors and due process followed in that timeframe.

My experience is both schools are v inclusive of all children but what you’re describing was VERY poorly judged by the school and never should only 2 children be in a head to head race, let alone one of them in a wheelchair. Imagination fail as to how to include all children in a fair event. I’m not surprised there were complaints. How they’ve then handled it is awful.

I understand why you’re disappointed but also think you need to reflect on how you’re handling this and projecting. Organise some play dates for your DD and do something fun. Keep going with that and this will be forgotten in no time.

Assuming he is the only wheelchair user in the school, the alternative would have been for him not to participate in sports day at all wouldn’t it. How would excluding him have been fair?
Its also unfair to accuse the Op of ‘boasting’ about her child beating a disabled child. Her child also has disabilities, one of which could make it difficult for her to run
Its primary school sports day, a bit of fun, not elite competitive sport, it appears his mum was happy enough, as was he. I really can’t see the problem.

My son was at a special school, the children were a mix of disabilities, some requiring walking aids or support from staff so they could take part in sports day. No one cared about differing levels of disability, everyone got to take part. It was great fun, everyone won a prize of some sort.

This doesn't really make any sense. Taking a prize away but not the points, a week after the event - doesn't achieve anything.

This actually went to a board of governors? Face plants🤦

So he won 2 races which wasn’t unfair, but lost one which has now been deemed unfair? Wonder what the criteria that made other races ok, but this one not!

It was a poor choice and can see why someone might have complained. But I don’t see why they needed to take the win off your child. It’s not like she won an Olympic gold is it. All they needed to do was admit it was a bad decision and say they won’t repeat it

Sounds shite but be the bigger person and move on. Don't fester on this. Re-read your post tomorrow and you will be smirking at yourself. In a year you will be giggling. In 5 years laughing and in 20 years telling the story at her wedding.

If he is the only child in a wheel chair though how could you include him without having him race children not in wheelchairs? It’s either that or he misses out completely & it sounds like he won a few races that way so I don’t see the big deal with the school doing it.

I do agree it’s unfair on your DD now, they aren’t going to take away the boy in the wheelchairs wins (rightly) so why take DD’s? If anything it’s insulting to him to IMO.

The school was totally at fault here, for allowing the race to take place at all. They did, so should own it and let the result stand.

Surely even at that age your DD could see that it was an unfair race and a win against a child in a wheelchair is nothing to boast about. If her self esteem is that low you feel she needed a win in what was essentially a 1 person race then I think this is the issue you need to concentrate on and you probably just need to let the points issue go.

I literally don’t believe this has gone to the Governors. As described there’s barely time for process but if the HT put this on the agenda and/or sent an email or special request meeting with this as the subject our Board would have a WTF are you doing conversation and it would reflect very badly on the SLT, which makes me think that hasn’t happened. Let’s not forgot Governors approve HT pay so putting yourself in a situation where you appear idiotic isn’t a great move.

I don't understand any of this.

Why was there a two-person race?

Why do you want your child to be able to boast that she beat a disabled child in a race?

How has she had the win taken off her if she gets the extra house point, which was the only prize?

Some parents are absolutely ridiculous.

Yes, this. What a bonkers idea!

Personally, I think it's disgusting everyone is assuming the kid in the wheelchair would always lose!

I've run in the same races as people in wheelchairs before, and been beaten by them every time. If the child has been rolling for a long time, there's no reason why they can't be super speedy.

It would only be an unfair competition if the kid had only just started using a wheelchair.

It's not a case of the OP's DD beating a kid in a wheelchair - she won in the same competition as another child.

Your school sounds shit. What idiot got your daughter to race against a kid in a wheelchair? What idiot thought the correct response to the complaint was to take your daughter’s win off her, as if any of this were her fault, rather than the school apologising.

But those are all things too.... Maths competitions, spelling bees, exams, poetry recital competitions, debating competitions, music recitals. These are all things that schools do as well as sports competitions.

Who was the other kid going to race against, if they were the only one in a wheelchair? Or do you think they should have been excluded because they're disabled?

@Hellocatshome
@ArmWrestlingWithChasNDave

You are both talking about the wheelchair user as if he automatically has less sporting capacity than the girl he raced. Why is he? He had already won a race under his own steam- maybe he let the girl win to be kind?!

wheelchair users can be amazing athletes.
Hopefully she isn’t running about ‘bragging she won a race against a disabled kid’, but rather she is pleased she won a race against a class mate she views as an equal.

We had sports day the other week one wheelchair racer in year two she did all the races with a generous head start being pushed by an adult. Parents, grandparents, children and teachers cheered all the competitors each time. I don't remember her coming first but she was awarded house points.

It's ridiculously petty for anyone to complain and for the governor's to get involved is ludicrous luckily our head has a backbone and would have dismissed this