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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

heatwave - should sports day be cancelled?

16 replies

emanjay · 15/07/2013 12:56

hi does anyone know if there are any regulations regarding running a school sports day in heatwave conditions? very concerned about sports day tomorrow on a field for nearly 2 hours with no shade

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TeenAndTween · 15/07/2013 13:33

We had ours last week.
Lots of drink for the children and adults.
Gazebos for the children to sit under. They had to keep shuffling as the shade moved.
Hats. Sunblock.

Should be fine. Especially if someone organises gazebos. If the school/PTA doesn't own any I bet some parents do.

kilmuir · 15/07/2013 13:39

we had a letter round begging for gazebos, worked well. i would have taken him out of events if no shade

DebK2012 · 15/07/2013 13:40

Dcs sports day was the same hot field for two hours people fainted

Fuzzymum1 · 15/07/2013 13:45

Our school bought gazebos (well the PTA did) for just such events - it makes a huge difference.

wheredidiputit · 15/07/2013 14:02

It depends on the time of day.

We had ours last Friday morning so it was alright as it wasn't to hot but the school would have cancelled if it was in the afternoon as by then it was far too hot.

SeriousWispaHabit · 15/07/2013 14:23

Ours has been moved from an afternoon 1-3 to the following morning.

Complete pain as I had organised my working week so I could go and now I can't, but I completely understand why they have done it.

numbum · 15/07/2013 17:15

Our had KS1 in the morning and KS2 in the afternoon. For those of us with children in KS1 and KS2 it was not a nice day and, as someone else said, we had a few fainters (children and adults).

ilovesunflowers · 15/07/2013 20:23

It's not a heatwave is it really? Just warm/hot weather. Schools in much hotter countries will manage to do a sports day. It would be over the top to cancel it due to the hot weather. As long as the children have drinks, hats and suntan cream they'll be ok.

roadkillbunny · 15/07/2013 22:17

We have a sports evening rather then day, starts at around 6pm. This means that not only is it cooler then in the day but more parents are able to attend. We are lucky that we have trees at one end of the playing field that the children sit under, gazebos are begged and borrowed from parents for events in the year that need to be held at the other end of the field where there is no shade.
Children are asked to bring water bottles and wear sun screen. There has never been an issue at sports evening regarding the heat. The PTA also run a BBQ and bar which is a good little money spinner, children can have BBQ food after they have been released back to parents. The whole thing ends up being a great social event and enjoyed by all. It does relay on the good will of our lovely teachers and TAs giving up their early Friday evening and we are always extremely greatful for their dedication.

With planning their is absolutely no reason to cancel due to a heat wave, it feels ridiculous that it would even be considered!
Are there really people who think if the weather is poor you cancel, if the weather is good you cancel, when are they going to participate in sports? Isn't the whole point to encourage children to participate in sports and lead a health active life? I sometimes wonder why people seem surprised about the raise in obese children with sedentary lifestyles!

vess · 16/07/2013 09:48

Of course not, it's not even that hot!

xylem8 · 16/07/2013 11:26

'Schools in much hotter countries will manage to do a sports day.'

but they will be acclimatised to the heat!!!

xylem8 · 16/07/2013 11:29

'I sometimes wonder why people seem surprised about the raise in obese children with sedentary lifestyles'
I hardly think doing a sack race and an egg and spoon race once a year will have much impact on obesity!

xylem8 · 16/07/2013 11:32

Ours are having a sports week.Yesterday they were outside all day long doing games in 29 degrees of heat., some children had forgotten water bottles and some were dressed in their winter PE kit ie jogging bottoms!

littlemiss06 · 16/07/2013 11:51

We had ours last week it was great fun, the kids loved it, plenty to drink, slap on the suncream and a hat and have lots of fun :-)

roadkillbunny · 16/07/2013 14:42

No, one afternoon of egg and spoon races has no effect on the rates of obesity and sedentary lifestyles however it is the message it sends, sport can only be done when the planets align and the optimum weather conditions arrive.
What I mean is that we are trying to wncourage children to take part in sport, get out and get active yet at the same time saying but if it is too hot/wet/cold or whatever other excuse don't worry about it.

Xihha · 16/07/2013 14:54

so long as the kids have water, shade, suncream and hats they'll be fine, after all they are still running around at break so a little race won't kill them off. Most sports days I've been to the parents are far more bothered by the weather than the kids are.

roadkillbunny I love the idea of a sports evening, especially as it means older siblings at other schools would be able to cheer them on as well.

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