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!

I am cringing with embarrassment for that poor child who will be marched away from his classmates when his mother has decided he has to stop. When the others don’t.
I am so glad I have a job to keep me occupied in the daytime!

We pulled ours out because of the heat. Dentist appointment just came up. Took them swimming instead so they got a bit of activity in.

I think it’s wise to stay off. Yes, it is looking more and more likely that our summers are going to be hotter, but countries experienced with this level of heat aren’t running about during the hottest part of the day. Only mad dogs and Englishmen, etc.

If they cancelled it last time when it was less than 32 degrees, it doesn't make sense to hold it tomorrow.

Yes, that was very much what I said.

I wouldn't expect the teachers to check every child constantly, but I know that at my DC school they would make changes to the day to make it safe (earlier, shorter, different events, etc). If you don't trust them to do this then, as I said, keep him off.

We got ours done Tuesday morning when luckily not as hot. It was still warm and no shade. The kids did get to go indoors though halfway and then only came out for year group races. Anything after midday tomorrow I would say is madness if no shade.

There are sports day threads every year on here, in a similar vein to this one. More so now as the heatwaves are getting hotter. None of my children do well in the heat - and none of them particularly enjoyed sports day.

I just used to keep them off if I considered it too hot, and I wasn't the only one. Never had any complaint from the school. Adults now, they all enjoy sports activity of their choice from swimming to running to cricket and cycling. Not attending sports days at school has not turned them into unfit couch potatoes, nor has it affected their 'resilience'. Running around in scorching heat is simply not good for you. That's common sense.

If he wants to go, I think I would let him ,with as many safety precautions that you can think of re water , hat, sun cream etc

YANBU this is miserable for the kids

10 - 2 is an absurd time of day to have kids outside in 32 degrees. It's peak UV and heat.

I understand that it's been planned in advance and it must be so frustrating for the school but it's really not reasonable to have it go ahead at all.

Personally I'd keep the kids at home but it's just habit from growing up in Australia.

It's a dream summer for the kids! It saddens me that some parents are so keen to convince their children that they can't cope with stuff. Poor kids.

Also meant to add , when are schools going to catch up with climate change and have sports day in autumn instead ?

We’ve had sports day and a cricket tournament this week, which were apparently fine to go ahead even though it’s been just as hot as when they were telling us we could collect at lunch due to the heat. I think I should have kept DD home as she got an awful heat rash from sweating in 30+ degree heat whilst wearing a horrible synthetic sports kit… Hard though as she really want to go and it was the last week of term so she really didn’t want to miss out.

I would OP. Hell I told a parent today that I’d recommend keeping both her nieces off school on sports day (okay that’s due to their seizures which are increasing due to this weather) but the point stands

Unless he has a specific health issue that makes him different from the other kids, let him go. It’ll be fine.

When i was fourteen i was being badly bullied at school to the point that i got whisky and pills out and was seriously contemplating taking my own life Like you DM had a job to occupy her and was angry when she had to leave it

This ^

It's a dream summer for the kids! It saddens me that some parents are so keen to convince their children that they can't cope with stuff. Poor kids

Kids bodies heat up 5 times faster than adults', and they don't sweat as efficiently effectively making them more likely to suffer heatstroke. Adults who feel they themselves are coping ok cannot make that judgement for children.

You are the parent so just don’t send him. I don’t think it’s sensible for a child to spend 4 hours in that heat with no shade, so my child wouldn’t be going. Would you take your child to the park for 4 hours to play in this weather? I wouldn’t.

That may be but they're going to be fine.

95% will attend and have a brilliant time with their friends. I feel sorry for the 5% tucked under mummy's wing and told they are too weak to participate.

Not being unreasonable at all! My partner is a secondary school teacher and they had multiple kids fainting and others dropping out during the day due to feeling overheated, sicky etc. In the end they had to end the events a few hours anyway because they were dropping like flies.

This … another poster mentioned unauthorised abscences…. What a ridiculous priority…. My child’s health comes first every time.

It doesn’t reach full heat until 4-5 pm in the uk so at 10am should be fine, by 1pm it will be getting a bit warm

If your son loves Sports Day YABU to prevent him from going.

I was really good at sports at school, it was my time to shine rather than struggling to grasp Maths in the classroom. I'd have been raging if my mother had decided it was 'too hot' for me to go and kept me at home.

I don't think I'd have forgiven her. I'd certainly never have forgotten it.