AIBU to keep my child off school sports day in 32C heat?

[Saralocky28]

School sports day tomorrow and where I live it's saying 32 degrees. It's all in an open sports field, no shade. AIBU to refuse my child to go? Usually it's 4 hours of constant activity. Yes they can stop to cool down and have a drink but it's all outside.

Very mixed in the parent WhatsApp. It was already canceled two weeks ago because of the heat but tomorrow is going to be even warmer!

I know my son will want to go but as his mum I'm worried he'll get dehydrated/sunstroke. Or am I being ridiculous!

As long as you're ok with him getting an unauthorised absence etc then why not?

Presumably the school aren't authorising parental decisions on absence? @Saralocky28

Personally i think kids will be fine in short bursts and if the event is well managed, but that's just me.

What about having it indoors, if there is a sports hall?

For some children, sport is the only thing where they are winners compared with others in their class/age.

Seems strange given the previous cancellation.

I really don't know why we allow others to make decisions about our children to such an extreme level in this country.

If I felt my child would not have a good day due to feeling hot/ sick etc I would have no problem keeping them off

They should move sports day to the spring term!

I think he’ll be very disappointed to miss his sports day and the school will manage it just fine.

Unfortunately it's not on school premises they hire a sports field every year and it's all outside. They clearly had an issue with it 2 weeks ago because of the heat so why is it not the same tomorrow. I will be there anyway to watch so if I feel it's too much ill just pull him out.

If you don't trust the school to keep them safe then keep him off. I think it depends on what the school is like. At my DC school they're super cautious with sun safety etc. so I would have no worries sending them in.

Are they starting at 6am? If they are, no problem. If they are starting normal time, it’s just silly.

10-2 🤔

Unfortunately your child will wake up tomorrow feeling unwell, you will follow the process for letting the school know, and I’m sure he will feel better in time for Monday. Like tens of thousands of other children on sports day. I am not one for going against school rules usually, but sports day in extreme heat is an exception.

Our school put up pop up gazebo’s for the children on sports day. Are they not doing similar!?

It's not about trust but when there's 32 kids per 2 adults they aren't going to be able to independently check on them all constantly.

My son loves sports day so it's really a shame if he can't go. I might just let him do till 12

It doesn’t make sense, given the previous cancellation—as you said. Why is it suddenly ok now, when it’s just as hot as it was the other week, when it was cancelled?
If your child is desperate to take part, then go, I guess? But like you mentioned, keep a close eye and if it gets too much just go home.

I ended up in hospital on a drip for a few days after sports day in junior school. I just remember having to run long distance on a very hot day and being out all day no shade not having much acccess to drink. It does make me a bit nervous with my Ds as he’s asthmatic but I know now he will have his water with him and things are much more sensible.

A hat and some water? School aren't going to beast them in the heat until they collapse.

I know a few friends' kids who were really sick the last heatwave a few weeks back with heat stroke, 2 ended up in hospital. It's no joke. I'd keep him home.

I'm keeping my son off also sports day. He never manages to drink enough water and has been coming home from school every day this week in a foul temper as it is.

You could ask the school for their risk assessment and action plan for sports day. That will be the reason they can go ahead tomorrow. There must be agreed mitigations: fewer activities, more breaks, gazebos for shade, hydration breaks, supervision etc for example

Staff just aren't qualified to look for signs of heat fatigue. Too many kids, too few staff. There was a post here a few weeks back about a kid who'd been made to continue with sports day all day with a visibly totally broken nose and two black eyes from an injury. So I do understand caution.

This is ridiculous to hold sports day in these conditions. I would pull a sickie on his behalf.

Not unreasonable, my sons were meant to have sports day tomorrow as well. Thankfully they've cancelled it and changed it to non uniform day instead. Its going to be the same temp here as well.

I would postpone it until a cooler date arrived.
I know we are watching elite athletes at Wimbledon in boiling heat, and of course the ball girls and boys running around and standing still holding out a brolly etc. They are all very fit.

I read that one too. The mum was exaggerating. She didn't bother doing anything about the "broken nose" either.

I think the kids would be much more comfortable outside than in lessons. School will adjust the activities to suit. They know what they are doing.

I love sports day- best day of the teaching year, but there’s no way I’d be sat out in the open, literally cooking under 30+ degrees of sun so kids can run around a field and get heat stroke.

Your son will have an asthma attack and be unable to attend.

Ask the school for their risk assessment for tomorrow - particularly related to the temperatures forecast.
I would keep them off!!

That’s what ours did and they had spray water guns. Children had a marvellous time.

This is it, these are our summers now, get used of it.

This school aren’t keeping them safe if they are holding a sports day at the hottest time of the day with no shade or arrangements to keep cool. I wouldn’t want to be sitting in the midday sun watching.