Someone complained about my child at sports day!

[SackRaceComplainer]

DC is 8, Y4. Has SN including dyspraxia.

For sports day every child has to take part. DC has some adjustments for sports day so they can fully take part.

Even with their adjustments they still come last in every race.

Someone has complained about the sack race and how my DC had an unfair advantage. DC started roughly half way along the track in their sack, had help to get in from staff (which the others didn’t) and then was picked up when they fell over while doing it whereas the others had to get themselves to their feet, DC had insisted they wanted to do this race – they were told they did not have to do it.

DC still came last and finished about 2 minutes after the other children they were racing. DC also fell through the finish ribbon thing onto the grass and had to be helped out.

And someones complained to the Governors about DC starting in a different place and that giving them an unfair advantage even though my child came last. Apparently starting half way along the track was an advantage.

Apparently it was taken straight to the governors, and I was informed as I was asked by the HT if she could share with the governors why DC started where they did because it’ll help the governors to decide if it’s an Reasonable Adjustment for DCs condition or whether in future all children start in the same place - I was just picking DC up for an appointment and was told this. HT says she doesn't agree it was an advantage.

My DC struggles enough as it is, just being upright is hard for them and now someone is complaining. DC was thrilled to even finish the sack race, they don’t care where they placed! The person who complained as a child in my DCs class – as it's been mentioned by name on the class whatsapp, and they’ve been together since Reception so said parent will have a fairly good idea of why DC started where they did.

Whats likely to happen now anyone know?

I would absolutely do this 😆

Dyspraxic here; reasonable adjustments are, well, adjustments to make things accessible that are reasonable.
why that’d need to go to governors is beyond me 🤷🏼‍♀️
but yes, people do whinge and say unkind things and that’s just because they have a severe lack of imagination and almost zero empathy. That’s their deficit. Don’t let it worry you.

Contact the governors yourself and remind them that sen students have the right reasonable adjustments and that it was e abriu what that was . Wow how low can some parents get

*As the mum of a dyspraxic child, what - and I cannot say this strongly enough - the fuck.

Once this shakes its way out, I would feed back very strongly how disappointed you are the school didn’t have your back immediately, rather than pandering to this bullshit. What next? Is he going to complain that his child hasn’t got a chair with wheels like a child who needs a wheelchair?*

Fully agree with this. What a vile woman.

I don’t usually post on threads but, how utterly amazing it is that someone would complain about this! I would have been cheering him on.
never none such nonsense from patents.

If it still took your child an extra two minutes to finish the race, starting half way was a token gesture at best. They should have started much closer to the finish line so they at least had a chance of placing.

I hope the complainer is on mumsnet, if you're reading this you should get a prize for being the biggest knob out there. I hope that against all odds with the example you are setting that your child turns out to be a decent human being.

OP I'm so sorry there are such twats amongst us.

What planet are some parents on. Why complain like that. I would be so upset. Nothing will happen as this is a primary school sports day not the olympics !! Some parents are so competitive. In one of my DD year a parent had all her children in September so be a year older than the rest then would spout off about how embarrassing it was for her DC to always come first. !! Her last child was due September and she was taken in end of august and she was terrified it would be born then !!
keep up the good work and I applaud the school for helping your DC to feel included.

Some people are so cruel

Equity and equality, nothing should and hopefully nothing will happen, the person who complained is spiteful and looking for an argument in the wrong place, the school sound like they handled the event well to give him an opportunity. However far she takes it, no one reasonable will give her a block to shout off.

Oh god I don’t miss Primary school one bit! If a dc has clearly got a different starting place and gets help it’s bloody obvious there’s a reason and it’s not because the dc is the head teacher’s favourite. I’m sorry you had to even give this headspace! Well done to your dc for taking part. Parent who complained is a dick. Governors just need to know that reasonable adjustments are made when appropriate. That’s enough. I used to be a primary school governor.

Jesus fucking Christ. What an utter cunt that parent is. I hope their next shite is a fucking hedgehog.

WH actual F! That’s horrific I can’t believe anyone would complain about that, ignore them, what an absolute CF!

Actually feeling dead proud of your DC who I don’t even know for getting involved and enjoying their day! You should be proud too and ignore arseholes x

I wish I could send your child a big big medal for trying.

God bless them.

How utterly pathetic. Well done to your DC for taking part.
I work in school and I'd help pupils that needed it in the same way.
I am pretty sure nobody will take any notice of the whingy parent who probably has some history and no doubt will raise a smirk or two.

This should have been shut down immediately and you should never have had to hear of it. Those in charge seem spineless here.

Yep!

What the actual fuck is wrong with some people

Whats likely to happen now anyone know

what’s likely to happen is that person is likely to get a punch on the nose at some point during their life. You’ve done very well to resist.

I hope that this other parent who made this complaint gets outed and ostracised, I sometimes cannot believe the lack of empathy some people have.
It’s a junior school sports day, usually it’s the taking part that matters most, not the winning. This parent has some disturbing issues I would think. I don’t think you need worry, I hope the school and the governors can see this for what it is.

This is just incredible. How on earth could a parent even think of complaining.

I don’t think I’ve ever heard of anything more pathetic.

I hope your little one had a great day despite the ridiculous complaint

The fact that your child started the race halfway nearer the finish line and still came last is this mums answer. It's called equity.

HT should have put that parent in their place on the spot!
So sorry you have a parent like that in your year. You’ll soon figure out who it is though & I’d be having a word with them myself when I did!!!

What happens is the parent that complained looks like a complete twat and everybody including the head teacher knows it. End of story. You shouldn’t worry about it. Poor kid that has that idiot parent!

They posted about it in the class whatsapp group ?

I think your answer to what is going to happen is really simple, everyone in that whatsapp group is going to think that that particular parent is a knob of the highest order ! and their card is marked from this day on
What sort of parent complains to the Governers about a primary school sports day sack race, a sack race where the child you are complaining about, who you believe got preferential treatment still came last? how on earth can you even begin to formulate an argument stating that the child who came last got an unfair advantage ?

This