back from sports day for reception age - very upset

[Spatz]

Just been to our first sports day for about 25 years! Shocked by the treatment of small children - I thought the world had moved on. DDs reception class had to do egg and spoon, obstacle and sprint races then some throwing and jumping. The events were all won by the same few biggest children (all boys).

As far as it went that's okay because they had fun in the events, but the prizegiving at the end went on for about 15 mins while each of six races had three certificates and a medal for the winner - some lads had 5 or 6 prizes by the end and most children ended up with nothing. They became sadder and sadder as they realised they wouldn't get a certificate and many ended up in tears. At the end the head of the junior school said they should all go to their class teacher to make sure they got a little 'I'm a good sport' thing to pin on.

How are other sports days run? Is this normal?

iback the witch

yes and I award you a big old Wooden Spoon fishface

Oh Dullwitch- just read back what I said and it sounds horrid. What I meant was it sounds like Dulwich and if you lived there it would be a clever name. You probably don't though and can't understand what I'm saying. Cat has that problem too!

Dullwitch- what's a spart? My dp and I think it's a brill name and been calling each other that all evening!!

Bibliophile get a grip. The only thing that Cat and I agree on is that traditionally the plural of A is As and not A's. If you check our previous postings, you'll see we've already bored everybody senseless with the rights and wrongs of employing the apostrophe and I would imagine Spatz would like us to return to her original thread before everyone loses the will to live.

I notice that we were honoured to have Zinedine Zidane post earlier in the thread, any comments in the light of recent events?

Thanks, Harpsi. That's the first shiny cup I've ever been awarded and probably one of the only prizes (except for some Smart Price salad cream and washing up liquid at a nursery raffle last wkend!) even though it was virtual. Shall use it for some non-virtual G + Ts.

Still intrigued by these compulsory competitions the rest of you appear to be doing in your spare time. What are they, Steppy, apart from the one you did at your ds's sports day?? I haven't entered a competition willingly or unwillingly for decades (part from aforesaid raffle and dh bought the tickests!).

Perhaps competitive-types are just attracted to competition and competitiveness and encourage their kids to be while the rest of us drift on blissfully unaware...

Ah yes, Zidane, so pleased competition brings out the most admirable human behaviour. Was also horrified to learn that domestic violence is dramatically increased during the World Cup. Every time England loses lots of football 'fans' go home and use their wives as a punch bag to make themselves feel better. Such a beautiful game!

I think having an extended prize giving at the end of a day with little ones was asking for trouble - exhausted children.

I think the thing to pin on should be given then and there.... rather than drag it out.

Have only experienced high school sports days here in Aus and there were always teams within the year levels and it was done with participation points as well as points for 1 - 4 places.

Can't let this thread go however without responding to the person who felt British English was being somehow sullied by the introduction of Australian English I taught English to a-Level and was gobsmacked at my English colleagues lack of command of their own language compared to me - the poor colonial cousin ( yes I was referred to as this) or the convict rifraf ( yes again)!!! Language is fluid - change is good and keeps language vibrant and rich and shows cultural diversity. I am proud of my Australian English and fwiw - we don't all call each other cobber or say g'day or throw another shrimp on the barbie NOR do we way - where the bloody hell are you?!?!? So please keep your denigration of my language and its richness and diversity to yourself.

SOrry for the hijack Spatz. Think it was upsetting and whilst life is competitive - through media, societal expectations - children should not at a young age have it rubbed in their faces.

I think you'll find that we have already discussed the subjectivity of opinion. Sorry you you don't like it, it is after all an opinion and opinions can never be wrong. Perhaps you should also keepall of your opinions to youself incase someone doesn't like them. Doesn't really work like that though, does it? There are many examples of the misuse of English by all kinds of English speakers. I'm glad for you that you speak it so well. You cannot use youself to prove the rule. Any way we were back to sport I believe.

stickers for every child - yes! (recognise participation)
special 1st/2nd/3rd stickeres - yes! (recognise winners - a bit)
long prize giving ceremony - no! (much too OTT for 4/5 year olds IMO)

Can I just make a point about the public element of sports day?

Sure, all children are competing in front of an audience. This has to be handled sensitively by the teachers - see above for how IMO it should be done.

But please remember that many children's academic performance in the classroom is ALSO public knowledge - to other children and parents.

Every day in reception, my son went into school, taking his place in the 'bottom table' for the slowest readers. Just him and one SEN boy. The table list was posted on a board in full view of passing parents outside the classroom, so there was no mistaking where everyone's child was.

On ONE day a year - sports day - my son gets the chance to come first in something at school - he came first in 3 out of the 4 races he entered this year.

For this he got three stickers and some nice words of praise from some other parents. He was pleased to come first - no awards ceremony or anything to emphasise the fact, thank goodness - but I thought it was so nice for him to win at something in school for a change.

ooh, some people don't like being wrong, do they? I suppose they learned their graciousness on the sports field.

Searching for suprious connections ?? Doesn't really work .

tigermoth - I am shocked by the reading tables you describe and the public nature of it for parents. Reminds me of a story a friend tells about his schooling where the whole year was put in order down to a category known as "GTF" - general total failures. I thought schooling had moved on since then. I can't see who benefits from a very public ordering of reading abilities.

Eidsvold - I am all for change in language, but must mentino I do know an Australian who says 'g'day!'. He is from Melbourne - is it a regional thing?

Tigermoth, what you say about the reading tables being public knowledge at your school is shocking tbh. Maybe the school took this line because they knew some children would be going home in any case to be interrogated by pushy parents as to who else is on their table?
Still, it surprises me and I would not like it. Well done to your ds2. Every time I see the Incredibles I think of him

I have got a child with a disability, and I did not say I thought either competition or sports day should be abolished.

Some of us have responded very specifically about the particular circumstances of the event Spatz described - and been subjected to all sorts of generalisations as a result!

I agree. Some people just like the sound of their own typing.

that's a great saying poppyflower, i like the sound of my own typing

marina at the incredibles connection

BTW I should have said the putting up of public lists of reading tables happened in year 1, not reception. And just for that one year, thank goodness. It is not school policy.

What happenend was that the year 1 teacher posted the reading table lists on a board just by a window looking onto a pathway used by most parents. It was a doddle to read. I don't think she thought it through - she was in her first year of teaching and I never really got on with her. IMO she had awful people skills. I did agonise a bit over asking her to kindly post the list somewhere less public, but thought it would make me look really pushy and as it wasn't upsetting my son, I kept quiet, but seethed inwardly.

I think that competition has to be handled incredibly carefully. I went to a school where there was very limited setting and where results were always given directly and sharing of results was strongly discouraged. I then moved at sixth form to a school which divided everyone into "A", "B", "C" streams so that you were either considered intelligent or not, and your class mates were all at the same perceived level. I think that a) this is stupid (skills being diverse for most of us) and b) incredibly divisive. All results were always pinned up publicly, so everyone was forced to see themselves in a league table. Both schools were academically selective, and I was a fairly able student, so it didn't bother me too much, apart from putting up with the unbearable arrogance of the "A" stream. I know what sort of school I would send my child to. In sports in particular most schools offer very little choice, and it may take years to find something that you are good at. Regular humiliation for me just isn't a great motivator, and in a competitive set up most children are going to lose out. When my kids find a sport that they enjoy I will encourage them to be the best they can at it, but it's not as if any individual sport is a life skill is it? Sports days should be a bit of fun at the end of the school year and not a cause for unhappiness.

I'm hacked off! Ds1 is in yr 1 and hasn't had a sports day yet. There was one booked for tomorrow but it has now been replaced with the Maytime country dance because it got rainr=ed off last term. I am so annoyed as they have so many shows at his school which is all well and good but lets have a bit of sport and exciting activity.
I think all the parents feel the same this yr and are getting a bit fed up with the school always doing dance and shows every term.

Dance and shows are a symptom that primary education has been feminised - teachers are mostly women and think boys desire for competition and roaring around is macho and unacceptable. So they focus on girlie stuff. My son has to do sewing and country dancing: but they don t do woodwork, and footie is considered too rough for the girls.

I don't see why they shouldn't all do sewing AND woodwork.

i do think that football is great but can push everyeone else ( girls or boys) who arent playing tot he corners of a play area as ( my) dsses racea round

i can see that IS a problem

Havent read all of thread but I think what you have described is perfectly reasonable. You earn on your merit, thats the way of the world. How else will they realise that they will have to try harder next time to get a prize.