Should sports day be optional?

[Nothinglefttosaynow]

I remember dreading sports day as a child, I was slow & awkward and always near the end if not last. It was public embarrassment for me & I dreaded it. My nephew has sports day next week & is already worrying about it. He is fit and healthy but not a fast runner & has come last for the past 3 years. I absolutely agree with kids taking part in sport at school & at home, but I wonder if forcing kids who clearly don't enjoy it to participate in front of a crowd is fair.

Secondary school sports should be optional.

At primary, they should be properly 'inclusive'. DDs was great - they had a house system, they had team activities such as cumulative jumping and throwing. So every child's contribution to the total counted. In the older couple of years they also had a few specific events (sprinting, long jumps) for the more talented athletes - the rest of the team (and parents) cheered them on. The same kids weren't allowed to dominate all events so something like the sack relay would give the middling kids a chance.

Kids who couldn't compete got various helping jobs suited to their abilities.

Maybe it took a bit more organisation but it worked well and everyone seemed to enjoy it.

Yes, I feel very sorry for those kids who have to go in. It would have been very bad for my daughter if I couldn’t have kept her off. It really should be optional. I’m sure most kids would still choose to do it but if they didn’t, schools should look at why and look at changing the day to make it more appealing to all.

I wasn't great at sports day but just got on with it and it hasn't done me any harm.

We've had parents asking for pupils to opt out of all sorts of things because they find it hard or they don't like the teacher. Where would it stop?

@frankentall who gives anyone a booby prize for sports?

Yes it should be optional. In my school the kids who didn't do well were bullied and people would laugh when we raced. Still have issues with sport

Was the sports day she hated one like the one I was quoting, where all the primary school children played silly team games and there wasn’t really a competitive element? Because I am struggling to see what is so awful about that.

I haven’t said I disagree with keeping children off a traditional, competitive sports day if they are finding it humiliating. But somebody (not you) keeping their child off what is basically a Team Fun Day because they didn’t like sports day themselves thirty years ago does seem like projection to me, yes.

Not really. My son was usually in the top few of each class at secondary and left with 4 A levels at A* but never got a single award nor mention in a newsletter. Not that he was bothered, but the awards seemed to go to those who "went above and beyond" rather than just academically good, i.e. engaged in clubs and societies, entered external competitions, etc. In one year he got the top result in his year in the end of year exams and still didn't get anything - the lad who got the Geography prize that year had entered a photographic competition and got one of his photos published in a magazine - but did pretty badly in the end of year test!

No I don't think it should be optional unless the child is extremely upset about it. I used to dread sports day too because I was always one of the slowest but I was academic and sports was the only thing I didn't do well at in primary school so it was probably good for me to do something I wasn't good at for once! We can't protect children from everything or how will they learn to deal with this stuff when they older?
But I do think schools should have more "fun" races like egg and spoon though which the less sporty kids can just enjoy having fun with.
Just to add I am talking about primary school, secondary I think should be optional because it's taken more seriously!

No. I'm not sporty, didn't enjoy it, but always did my bit.
Children need to learn that sometimes you have to just suck it up and get on with it! There are lots of things in life we don't want to do, but have to! I think it's similar to a workplace. Even if you're not good or don't enjoy it, it's a team effort for your year or house usually.

But it does do some children harm.

Its not about something being hard, it’s about the child’s struggles being so public in some cases. The whole school and parents wouldn’t know if Amelia struggled with Maths because she’ll never have to do Maths in front of them all. Some kids may do find in sports day but still don’t like performing in front of everyone.

Fully agree. Nothing wrong with "sports" days if they're "fun" days for all, but when they become ultra competitive, the less sporty ones are basically laughed at. Not much difference to the "wait of shame" in team games lessons where the ones who are picked last are made fun of. None of that has any place in modern schooling and needs banning. When it becomes humiliation rather than "coping with life's disappointments", the line of acceptance has well and truly been crossed.

My eldest DD is Y4 and the way her school does it is they have 2. The first is "sport for all" so easy, accessible sports that are inclusive and big emphasis on having fun, everyone wins yadda yadda

Then the 2nd one a couple of weeks later is for kids who are selected or choose to engage in more competitive things.

It seems to work well and most kids engage and no-one is shamed etc

When it's a "team effort for your house", it's actually worse as you then get ridiculed and whinged at my your team mates when you lose them valuable points! No one wants to be "the one" who causes their team to lose.

Those coming in last of course have a very public version of a booby prize.

Everyone sees you and the the humiliation for a sensitive non sporty child can cut deep.

Yep, sounds like a much better idea. Let the sporty/competitive ones have their own "sports day" to compete between themselves.

I'd think (and in my experience) on an every day level you don't get told whose top of the class for English/French/Maths etc

Things like essay competitions , poetry contests, designing a poster etc are occassional things where a winner might be announced. I'm pretty sure it's not publicly announced daily who's good at academic stuff.

And any extra curricular achievements are celebrated so bright kids might enter external writing or maths competitions, but also drama, dance, swimming, gymnastics, karate, tennis, chess etc and all sorts of things that aren't available at school, are usually celebrated.

Tbh if a kid is really sporty it would be unusual their only outlet to pursue that is school sports lessons or sports day. Its likely they'll play for a school team (which will be publicised) and or an out of school club Which will also be celebrated. And its quite feasible that there will be kids who get awards or merits for both academic and sporting achievements. There are girls in DDs year who excel at almost everything - they are extremely bright but also very good at art, music and sports!

I am not sporty and didn't enjoy sports day but there should be something that they can all do well in. If it is just the traditional running races and throwing competitions then that will only suit a few. Tennis, swimming, rounders etc will open up opportunities for more. Sports are important but so is self esteem.

It was mostly team games with a few competitive races. It wouldn’t have been a good thing to send her in. She did try it for the first 2 years at school but hated it so I kept her off when she asked in future years. She loves running and is sporty.

I didn’t know at the time, but do now, that she is autistic. I’m very glad now that I chose to keep her off all those years ago. The day wasn’t suitable for her with so many eyes on her, the competition and all the noise. So when you’re struggling to see what is so awful about it, try thinking a big more.

No-one I hope, but the effect of being seen to be last, or letting down the side in team sports is the equivalent. The point about Susie always winning the English prize at prize day wasn't a fair comparison unless the prize day included a very public display of how shit some of the others were at English. It's really a pretty straightforward comparison.

No. I hated sports day, and I was pretty rubbish. But I think all kids should go - it's part of the school day, and at least they're out in the fresh air. Crucially, it teaches them that we all have to do things we don't want to do. We can't pick and choose what we do in our jobs, so why should we be allowed to do it at school?

When I was younger we were encouraged to take part in at least 1 race and it didnt matter which one. Saying that I absolutely hated sports day as I got older and I wished my Mum would have kept me off (especially her knowing I had SEN)...
The teachers always asked the kids in the class which races they'd like to be in and that was accounted for. Do they not do this anymore?

What does a non compulsory sports day look like? Kids getting the day off if they aren’t competing, having to sit in a classroom all day instead, or having to watch everyone else? I’m sure a lot would pick the first if it’s an option, but the latter two don’t seem like fun.

No. The kids whose main talent is sport don't get to sit out of art, English, maths etc.

I agree with this completely. The whole school plus hundreds of spectators aren’t looking over little Johnny’s shoulder to make sure he doesn’t make any spelling mistakes, nor are they watching and listening to Alfie struggle through a reading book. What they do get to see is poor Jack finishing a 50 metre sprint miles behind other kids because he physically can’t match them. Then everyone gets to see Jack cry because he is humiliated and overwhelmed.

We’d all have plenty to say if our kids were being humiliated in front of hundreds of people for academic shortfalls.

Yes indeed - in the same way it is optional for a child to play the flute in a school concert when they have never learned the flute!

I was hopeless at all sports at school and having that publicly exposed to ridicule was not brilliant ...