Does your dc's school have Sports Day?

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I found out this week that my youngest's school doesn't have a sports day - I am never going to attend another sports' day again

Does your school have Sports Day or is this being phased out everywhere?

It does, but the right on version where nobody takes any notice of who wins or loses. No prizes, no announcement of first, second and third, no commiserating the stragglers at the end of races, everyone is exactly the same. I'm sure it's great for everyone's self esteem but it does drag.

DD goes to an independent primary and they have a whole school competitive sports day every year. Every child takes place. Competitive but great atmosphere with every one getting huge cheers regardless of position. Big house event so points go towards house system.

I work in an infant school and we have sports day every year too though it is outdoors so is somewhat controlled by the weather.

Foundation - mini Olympics round robin style. No real winners/losers, every one does same activities in rota.

Y1 and y2 have competitive sport's days. They were brought back in last year and were a big success. Had been the rota activities beforehand and we found that less and less parents turned up to watch, the children were not enthused, etc. We got a young male teacher as an NQT with a real interest in sport and he decided to bring back competition. Big success. Children love it, and we have far more parents turning up to watch and support - and even join in with the parents race.

My dcs school went back to competitive sports days last year, and everyone loved it. The kids cheered each other on, the ones who came last just laughed about it, and it had some atmosphere!

Yep! Our state primary have competitive sports days.

The early years dept do theirs at school - usually a running race, bean bag race and potato and spoon race for every child. Points go to their houses, but 1st, 2nd and 3rd get certificates.

Years 1-6 go to the local athletics track and all do running races and a mixture of field events with the same points and certificate system.

Both are great events!

Yes, but its really low key. Lots of parents standing about in a field.

Forgot to say - we don't have parents or teachers races after a teacher fractured her ankle badly a couple of years ago.

The infants does a fun sports day that parents aren't allowed to attend.
The juniors has 2. One is a proper sports day with races and the second is a fun sports day that every child takes part in. There are two separate trophy's and parent's can attend both.
The middle school and upper secondary have traditional sports day's with races. Parents can attend the middle school sports day but I think they can't for the upper secondary.

Ours used to have proper traditional sports until last year. Last year the P7s organised the day and it was like a mini Olympic style event with a mixture of team races, sort of done like party games - pass the balloon type and other things like attempting to score baskets in the basketball hoop - an obstacle course through the climbing frame and foam javellins that the kids had to throw at the P7s, a hit gaining a sticker. This was to celebrate the fact that the parent council and kids had raised 25k to get some equipment in the playground. It was a bit strange, but all the kids enjoyed it and the P7s designed, set up and ran the whole event. Not sure what they are doing this summer.

My DC's school has Sports Day. And it's ultra competitive.

Though they did stop the parents races 4/5 years ago after one mum broke her ankle trying to win...

They compete in houses, each class is split fairly equally between the houses, siblings are always in the same 'house'.

Standard State community Primary until 1st April when it became an Academy.

Ours has sports day. They even list two dates in the calendar in case the first gets rained off.

From my first experience last year when dd was in preschool, it's competitive which i like. Medal and certificate for 1st/2nd3rd place and overall shield for best performing team.

Teams are made up of a fairly even mix of r-y6 pupils and assigned a colour. It is asked that your dc wears their team colour on sports day. there are only about 60 pupils though.

Preschoolers have their own races and are thoroughly cheered by the entire school.

We have the teachers and parents races which the dc love.

The best part is whilst it's competitive, first placed to last in gets cheered as enthusiastically as each other. The school places a huge ethos on working together and as they are mixed year group classes, it really works well. There's one lad with cp who gets given a head start in races so he's practically at the finish before the others start. I've been told in the last when he was lower down the school and therefore smaller, a couple of bigger boys would catch up with him then run him to the line to cross as a winner.

I have an intense dislike of non-competitive games. I'm not a sportsperson and never gave been. But life doesn't just hand you things on a plate or cushion every hard knock. I honestly believe sports in a controlled environment give children the opportunity to learn pride, achievement, humility, team work. The whole idea that 'everyone's a winner' doesn't give a child the chance to manage a knock back and doesn't prepare them well for a life where they may not always get their own way.

Our schools (infant and junior) have sports day in two parts. Half is non-competitive, just relay style-more a demonstration of different athletic events. The other half is competitive-each child gets two races and this counts towards the house cup.
The best bit is the teachers' race-they get very competitive!

It used to be non-competitive which was dead boring and the children hated it.
They get a sticker for 1st-4th and in year R they do their races in groups of 4 so they all get a sticker, and in groups of 8 year 1 upwards, so half get a sticker. And they all get a "sports' day" rosette at the end of the day.
Then we have picnic lunch on the field.

My DC's school has a Sports Day.

It is very competitive and is sheer hell for my DD and sheer pleasure for my DS!

Yes (primary). Each class has a relay obstacle race in teams, a regular running race (100m?) and a "quirky" race (three-legged race/sack race/egg and spoon race -- it varies). The top couple of years also do a 400m race. Stickers are given out for first, second and third places in each race.

I don't know if our school does or not, but DD has a mild disability affecting her mobility, so a competitive one would break my heart - even if, at the moment, she's not so aware of the differences between her and her peers.

Beckycott did you know Mumsnet has a special section for journalist requests?

Ours doesn't, instead they have adventure course day where the DC fund raise for the amounts of times they go round the badly thought out adventure course. Yet another way our grabby school attempts to get money.

Am I the only one that hated Sports Days? DS2's Middle school doesn't have one or if they do Parents don't go, and I like it that way.

DD's primary school had an annual sport's day in the summer term. Was at the Institute of Sport and of the competitive nature, though very good humoured with all children taking part. Was a whole school house event with house sport's cup awarded at the end of the event.

I work in an infant school and we have annual sport's days - one per year group, with all children taking part.
EYFS is a carousel of events, non competitive.
Y1/2 are both competitive sports days with a range of events taking place, all children involved. This was changed two years ago from a previously non competitive version, coincided with the Olympics and we had the torch there for the Y2 event too.
The result of the change in the past two years has been that far more parents attend (more than double came both years) and the children look forward to it more. They run for their classes and we award stickers for 1-3rd place, plus participation ones too. Results are announced in the following celebration assembly - combined for Y1/2.

Ours has competitive sports for the whole school. The kids love it. Parents and teachers race too. Rural c of e primary. They used to have the politically correct version where the kids did a carousel of cooperative sporting activities but changed to the traditional form when the kids held their own sports day at playtime the day after the official school one.

Dd's school has two sports days, a traditional competitive event and then a fun event involving space hoppers, mini stilts etc. At the second event the school puts on a Tai Chi display and last year Bhangra dancing to showcase what the children do in PE throughout the year. There is always a huge turnout.

we do the same as Insanity's school.

yes both my DCs schools do, I hate sports day.

DSs school do a whole school thing which takes all day, its competitive with ribbons going to each child and a house sports cup, with separate teacher, grandparents, parents and toddler races, which also count for the house cup (siblings are always in the same house so parents/Grandparents/toddlers are added to their house too) I may have to break my ankle this year so they stop making me race We have a picnic on the school field for lunch, then team sports in the afternoon, they do sell wine though so it's not all bad.

DDs in reception so I haven't been to Sports day at her school yet but its a whole school thing as well so will probably take forever and according to the mums with older DC it's very competitive.

Ds2 has a sort of sports day, the one where no one wins or loses.
Thankfully parents are no longer invited to attend.

But the athletics club take part in district sports every year which is an actual competition- we are allowed to watch that.

Yes, separate for infants and juniors.

Infants - at local sports club, everyone split into 4 teams (1/4 of each class per team), and each class kept together. Round Robin of activities accompanied by class teacher, year 6 kids keep score and timings etc. Winning team announced at the end, they get a trophy. All kids taking part get an ice lolly from the PTA.

Juniors - held at a local high school. Not got there yet, can let you know how it goes next year :o