Does your dc's school have Sports Day?

[ShawnSpencersPineapple]

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?

[Xihha]

adds running spikes to the list of ways to get out of parents races

[17leftfeet]

Ours does a fun sports day for reception to yr2 and yrs3-6 have a competitive sports day

All the kids make banners in their team colours, it's well attended by parents and the head provides commentary

[AuntieStella]

Oh, and they phased out the parents races a few years ago after one father turned up with running spikes (I kid you not!)

[AuntieStella]

Yes.

Ours have a (not very competitive) team games in KS1, and ones with lots of heats (slightly preselected, so the best compete against the best IYSWIM, and the less able against each other; so a range of children are winners and even though they twig what's going on all abilities are cheered and rewarded) in years 3 and 4; and then similar but a bit more competitive in years 5 and 6.

Unfortunately, they've phased out the teachers races....

[RatherBeOnThePiste]

My DH once said he could not stand to watch his children throw another bloody bean bag into another bloody bucket referring to Primary sports days. Hideous they were. Even the kids looked bored. They all got a lolly at the end which was probably the only thing keeping them all from running away screaming.

DD had to run in Borough sports, they were competitive. She liked that.

[MollyBdenum]

KS1 had a carousel of activities which are a mixture if competitive and non competitive, but with the emphasis on taking pay, doing your best, beating your previous score etc. In KS2 they do a competitive sports day with team awards and 1st 2nd and 3rd place awards for boys and girls. I think that non competitive sport is really important, especially when age males such a big difference in terms of coordination and physical ability. DD is one of the oldest in her her year and thinks she is really sporty because she was able to outrun the smaller weaker children who couldn't catch a ball in early years. This was a virtuous circle as now she actually is very sporty because she had put the work in. But it's important that the smaller weaker children get the chance to enjoy building their skills to so by the time their bodies have grown into their sport, they haven't given up.

[RueDeWakening]

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

[TantrumsAndBalloons]

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.

[Xihha]

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.

[X3512]

we do the same as Insanity's school.

[insanityscatching]

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.

[JimBobplusasprog]

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.

[Hulababy]

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.

[Sparklingbrook]

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.

[Rainicorn]

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.

[CheeryName]

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

[Galena]

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.

[TolliverGroat]

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.

[OldBeanbagz]

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!

[DeWe]

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.

[Sokmonsta]

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.

[CouthySaysEatChoccyEggs]

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.

[soontobeslendergirl]

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.

[Myliferocks]

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.