To think that secondary sports day should be optional?

[Peggy0907]

DS is year 10, his whole school have sports day today at an athletics track nearby. He hasn't been picked for anything, they do tryouts during P.E and he isn't sporty at all so he's fine with that. My issue is that it's compulsory for the whole school to go and watch from 8.30-3pm regardless of if they're doing an event or not. So DS's day will involve sitting in the stands (no roaming allowed), eating and chatting. They can bring a small bag with packed lunch and a reading book so it's not like he can even bring all his revision material.
I'm sure a lot of the kids will love this but DS hates it and is begging me to let him stay home and revise for his mocks that start on Monday.
Aibu to think that either every kid should be involved in some way or that it should be optional to attend if that isn't an option? I understand they're there to "cheer on" their classmates but in reality the kids in the stands aren't even watching what's going on anyway and it just really seems like a big waste of time for them.
Just to say, I think that it's brilliant that the sports department organise this day and for those children who love sports, whether taking part or spectating, it's a wonderful day for them. But for those like my son, it's a day away from learning.

Sports Day is huge at my DCs secondary. "Holding pens" are made for each house group, banners, face paint in house colours, chants made up etc. My DD is y11 and gutted they aren't allowed to do it now they're doing GCSEs and have left school! Even those not competing get fully involved for the day cheering on their house mates.

Sitting with a book and not being allowed to move sounds a bit boring but your comment about making kids sit and watch academically able kids compete for the day is nonsensical. There are children who do exactly that for the rest of the year. It won't do him any harm to spend a day sat chilling with his friends instead of sitting in a stuffy classroom listening to a teacher drone on

It really isn’t. You would only have eventers and the odd kid who wants to sit and watch, that requires one member of staff per ten children, you then need enough staff back at school to teach everyone else.

At our school, everyone attended - but most people were in at least 1 event and those that weren’t would be given a job. Everyone was included in some way.
I agree OP that it is a waste to have children sitting down ‘watching’ all day and not feeling included.

If he isn't in it and doesn't want to go, I'd give him the day off to revise.

Sitting with a book and not being allowed to move sounds a bit boring but your comment about making kids sit and watch academically able kids compete for the day is nonsensical. There are children who do exactly that for the rest of the year.

Really? There are children who are told that they aren't good enough at academic work so they should just sit and watch the other kids instead of doing any work of their own? I don't think so.

Yes, some children find it very hard to engage with academic work but they are still encouraged to have a go and work towards their own appropriate goals. The teachers don't just take the bottom set in to sit and watch the top set doing their thing. So how is that comparable?

There's also the need for more qualified first aiders.

At a sports event, there's a greater risk, both with participants and spectators, so you have to have a larger number there. However, if attendance is optional, you still need 2-3 first aiders back on site to cover those and the remaining staff. Seeing as qualifying costs just under £500 each and requires 3 days' absence (and teaching staff are not obliged to qualify or offer cover for this role), that's a lot of time and money to ensure legal levels of coverage - if nothing huge goes wrong, great - but apart from fractures, asthma or anaphylaxis due to others bringing food, there's an elevated risk of a catastrophic cardiac event with teens in sport (it's why defibs are in schools, not for elderly librarians, caretakers and RS teachers). The physical, emotional and legal consequences of having unqualified staff having to provide first aid because there isn't sufficient staff to cover both locations means that making attendance compulsory is often the only way to ensure first aid coverage and compliance.

You’ve sent him in?

Same!

Keep him off. If they ask say "I don't see any value in him sitting watching others and mucking about. So I made him revise instead".

Sports day should allow all the kids to participate. DC secondary school do all the traditional events, plus tug of War in their class groups, three legged race and other fun races. Dd ran the tuck shop one year and DS litter picked this year too. They all enjoyed the day.

Yes, he's gone in. He thinks it's pointless, I think it's pointless but hopefully he'll find a way to enjoy the day. Or I'll get a phonecall in a few hours because he's "unwell" and needs to be picked up. We'll see!

The school I worked at had outdoor activities for everyone plus early heats for the athletic events through the morning. After lunch they had competition semi finals and finals for all to watch, with a bouncy castle and ice cream van for spectators. It was a really nice day.
The situation as described by OP sounds dire.

He'd love running the tuck shop! See, I think that's a great way to do it and wish our school did. I have no issue in sports day, or them having competitive events but I wish they'd have other fun things going on. Or like a pp mentioned about team colours, face paints etc really encouraging the team mentality.

This sounds amazing!

Of course he should go. Doing things you don't like at school is training for having to do things you don't like at work. The school obviously think it's a good thing and aren't worried about a day in the classroom being missed. Don't let him opt out of something just because he doesn't fancy it.

That's unpleasant.

Nonsense. Sitting around for one day in a stadium stand bears no resemblance to doing things you don't like at work, and certainly doesn't train you for it.

What makes you think the school think it's a good thing? For them it's just an easier way of managing the logistics.

OP's son probably doesn't "fancy" doing revision and mocks, but he's not opting out. It's just a more sensible set of priorities.

Should have kept him off if he’s a smart kid and was really insistent about it. It’s school, not a jail, and an intelligent 15 year old would understand the social dynamics and if their attendance is really required or not. I’d be far less impressed with feigning sickness once already there.

I would not be turning up for a day at work standing around doing no work either

Don't let him opt out of something just because he doesn't fancy it.

Ah yes that’s a fantastic message to send to a 15 year old boy.

Ours used to just be an afternoon, I was never picked for any races but I have fond memories of cheering friends and classmates on. It was nice to be honest sitting in the sun with the rest of the year group, if they forced everyone to partake in races I'd get it but I don't think every lesson has to be delivered in a classroom personally.

If the school chooses to run the sports day, they should organise staffing so that children who aren't involved can carry on learning at school. If they can't, then they need to rethink their priorities. They don't expect all learning to stop so that the whole school can support, say, drama and dancing performances, after all.

My school (big standard state comp) used to do it so there were three sessions morning 1, morning 2 and post lunch, there would be various events going on at each time, track and field, hockey, handball, doubles badminton, an event called camp and cook whereby the teams had to orienteer to set co-ordinates pitch a tent then cook breakfast on a camping stove (for the supervising teachers, genius) and others all in mini tournament formation, then in the afternoon a huge tug of war competition.

Sports captains were nominated in each form by the form teacher so they were usually people who had some involvement in extra curricular sport but would be fair etc. Each class then got to pick themselves who wanted to do which event, made banners, painted t shirts etc. Then add each session was going on if you had a break in your own mini tournament you'd go and support your form in another event.

Now my school was largely pretty shit and in a rough part of East London. Festival of sport as they called it, was fantastic. Everyone involved, the least sporty cheered on and encouraged by team mates all looking for points for the form, lots of camaraderie in the build up etc. It was really excellent, people who used to bunk off PE week in week out showed up. The focus was on mainly team or paired sports, even the track and field event they had to do long jump, shot-put, a sprint, a mid distance and a relay so no one was excellent at all of them. I think sports day can be good if handled well.

It's absolutely perfect experience when you work in a school.

Our school does this. It's a waste of a day for the ones not selected as they're just sitting about bored watching the sporty ones do races.

I did suggest doing non-competitive sports for the ones not competing, like a fun run or an informal kickabout with a football, but school want them sitting in uniform watching the others all day.