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.

Difference is you're being paid to be bored on a training day!

When I was at secondary school I could guarantee you that about 70% of those who weren’t in the races/events wouldn’t have bothered to turn up.
Ironically though half of the skivers would have ended up down the local recreation ground kicking a football around or playing frisbee or inventing a game that was some sort of cross between rounders and cricket using a tennis racket 😂

I will be paid for 9-3 but training is until 5.30pm which will be unpaid. It's mandatory for my career so it'll pay off one day

In secondary once they weren’t selected and the dcs asked I kept them off.

There was no motivation to sit on the side lines bored shitless often in hot weather with no shade to watch other kids compete.

Sone years they studies, some years we went Thorpe park or wherever.

Three are now working adults and their wage and enjoyment of the majority of their work motivates them ti attend the boring stuff.

Everyone should be participating in something, exercise should be part of life

Yes, but sitting in the stands all day watching others do it, ISN'T exercise.

That's the trouble with schools' "games" lessons, sports days, etc. It's not inclusive. It's all aimed at the sporty kids, particularly team sports. Those kids who aren't sporty or can't do team sports are basically ignored. Some schools make a token gesture for the "non sporty" kids of novelty events like the obstacle race!

There needs to be far more emphasis on exercise instead of competitive team games. Won't happen though. Nothing has changed in the 50 years since I was at school.

We had the exact same issue yesterday. Youngest DD was forced to sit on a grass hill on one of the hottest days watching other people do sports day and she was all alone. Most of her friends were either participating or their parents had allowed them to stay off school because there was no point going in. My oldest daughter and her best friend were there too (and weirdly enough, my kids are great friends together) but she couldn't sit near them.
Older DD and older DD's bestie were feeling really sorry for her.
DD texted to ask if we could get her at lunch and she broke down in tears and refused to go back.

The year segregation is really shit. My dd’s had the same and was the main reason why they started asking to not go in.

Really crap for your dd to sit by herself.

If they show up to watch it shouldn’t matter who they sit with. Mine like many others, were friends with people outside their years. That set up doesn’t really prepare them for the boring work stuff when they would be socialising with others from different departments.

In a large secondary school that's just not possible.

Add in that some kids hate competitive sports, so don't want to take part. Exercise and competitive sports are two very different things.

I taught at a school with use of a proper athletics track, and they organised things so 300 kids were involved all day. All the main athletic events could take place simultaneously (using a couple of lanes for each distance, with kids running in pairs on the sprints), and the groups rotated round the events, with a couple of free slots. Everyone did almost every event (they were allowed to sit out one, so nobody had to do 800m), and scored points depending on their time/distance. Kids who weren't particularly sporty would get pushed to the front for a second go at 100m if they were close to a borderline; everyone's score counted. It was such a great day, everyone involved, relaxed enough that the less sporty still enjoyed it. People from other groups would cheer the 800m runners on as they came past on their second lap. There was a relay at the end, and a teachers' race, but that was the only bit of spectating.

I think this also unconsciously reinforces the previous post that you can't have everyone involved unless you have a small school.
Maybe sports day should be run in year groups.

That was a large school - and yes, each year group was a different day. A smaller school would get by with two year groups at a time.

Surely a large secondary school should be better placed for more flexibility, more options, etc., due to economies of scale, more staff, larger premises, more resources, etc?

I'd have thought it was the opposite that it was smaller schools who'd struggle to have broader choices due to fewer staff, less resources, smaller premises, etc.

I thought the whole idea behind "big is best" was to give more choices in all aspects of school?

I wouldn't have minded if it was actually interesting to watch but sitting in the sun watching the same kids run various lengths up and down a field all day was so mind numbingly boring that I skipped it most years to go and get drunk at a friend's house.

@taxguru but you surely realise not all kids want to participate in sports day? My eldest is incredibly sporty and relished sports day, my youngest hates it and opts not to take part. That's a good thing - they have that choice.

In my view that's exactly how sports day should be. Optional. Not compulsory. It means it can be competitive for these who enjoy competitive sports. And for these who hate sports day are not made to do something they actively dislike.

"lanthanum
I taught at a school with use of a proper athletics track, and they organised things so 300 kids were involved all day. All the main athletic events could take place simultaneously (using a couple of lanes for each distance, with kids running in pairs on the sprints), and the groups rotated round the events, with a couple of free slots. Everyone did almost every event (they were allowed to sit out one, so nobody had to do 800m), and scored points depending on their time/distance. Kids who weren't particularly sporty would get pushed to the front for a second go at 100m if they were close to a borderline; everyone's score counted. It was such a great day, everyone involved, relaxed enough that the less sporty still enjoyed it. People from other groups would cheer the 800m runners on as they came past on their second lap. There was a relay at the end, and a teachers' race, but that was the only bit of spectating.

I think this also unconsciously reinforces the previous post that you can't have everyone involved unless you have a small school.
Maybe sports day should be run in year groups."

Exactly. Our school has approx 1600 pupils, and limited space for sports. Heats are done in year groups on different days but are completely optional. Then the winners of the heats compete in sports day. These not taking part go to classes as usual.

That's what I meant. Bigger schools, more resources, more choices, whether that's different options within the sports day, or the option of not participating and doing something else instead, even if it is just sitting in a classroom or library or school hall revising.

There were so many compulsory extracurricular things at school that bored the shit out of me that I promised myself if I ever had kids I'd do anything I could to spare their pain. So, do him a favour and give him a pass on that one.

"That's what I meant. Bigger schools, more resources, more choices, whether that's different options within the sports day, or the option of not participating and doing something else instead, even if it is just sitting in a classroom or library or school hall revising."

The comment you quoted me in originally was a reply to someone who was saying that everyone should take part in sports day as exercise is important. My point was that 1. Not everyone would want to, and 2. That's very difficult to achieve in a large school.

I think we are at cross purposes but actually agreeing. I like the way our school approach it as it's optional so the kids who want to take part and these who don't carry on in lessons etc.

Children can participate in other ways, such as waving the starter flag.

Wow, you really think that makes up for being stuck watching something you've no interest in all day. It's not nursery you know! Do you really think at 15 year old is going to be impressed at being allowed to wave a flag???

I'm fairly sure your average teen will try quite hard not to be the person waving the starter flag.
So that is some exercise for those not in races :)

Could his reading book be one of his revision ones/ a text he needs to revise? Or could he slip some of his flash cards in the book so he's got them there so he can still do his revision?

I’m sure that if parents got a letter stating ‘your child has not qualified to attend sports day this year so please keep them at home as we don’t have enough staff to supervise those not participating’ that OP or others would be coming on here and complaining about yet another day that the school is closed and how unfair it is to parents who can’t leave their children etc etc just like on strike days.

My year 10 son has his sports day tomorrow (Saturday). Compulsory attendance even if you're not competing. He is not sporty and not participating. The only reason he doesn't complain is that the whole school has Monday off instead, and the day is combined with the Summer Fayre which has a number of stalls including food: some by the PTA and 1 stall per tutor group. Everyone is free to wander around the stalls, eat, drink, hang out with friends.
It's compulsory because it's a school community thing: parents can go along too, it works well and it's actually a really good day.

If it was like your son's sports day, OP, I'd be in a quandary because my son would not want to be there, but I would most likely make sure he was there because it's compulsory, even if it seems like a waste of time. I agree it's bad timing with the mocks next week, perhaps something to bring up with the school?