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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

Sports day, what's yours like?

13 replies

damewashalot · 11/07/2007 11:24

Ds1 is in yr3 so this is his first sports day at the junior school.
We were never that impressed with the effort at a sports day at the infant school, all a bit wishy washy and non competitive but they are only little so not a problem and at least everyone got a go at everything and all of the parents were there watching.

This year 'sports day' is as follows...... Friday pm throwing events, Monday am track events, Monday pm field events.
School has 3 houses and 1 child from each house in each class gets to take part in each event. This was not chosen based on ability at the event but on who put their hand up first most children are only doing 1 event, some 2.
We will be told what time to come to watch him do his shuttle relay (not high jump or long jump both of which he is quite good at) and then we go home again.
Is it just me or is this plain weird???

Do other schools still do proper sports days?

I hope this makes some sense as have a stroppy 16mth old helping type

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Original poster

damewashalot · 11/07/2007 11:54

OP posts:

Jas · 11/07/2007 11:55

I'm a non-athletic sports day hater

DD2 has traditional races where the whole school and their parents get to watch her come last Everyone takes part in at least two races.

DD1 is now in the junior school and they split the entire school into four teams and do various non-competative type stuff with scores and an overall winning team. As there are lots of activities going on at the same time I am hoping it will be less boring to watch for the parents and other childrenand even though dd1 will alos come lat she will have a slightly smaller audience.

I know I am in a minority in my views n sports day though.

Original poster

damewashalot · 11/07/2007 11:59

I don't even know if the rest of the school goes out to watch everything and we as parents are expected to come watch their bit and go, this to me is even worse than non-competative type stuff
Sports day was a big event when I was at school.

OP posts:

MaureenMcGonagall · 11/07/2007 12:04

Sounds like its gonna be chaos getting in and out of school for the parents!
Ours is a traditional one. All parents arrive and sit along the track. All children compete in two races each. The usually races, sack race, egg & spoon, obsticle etc. Mums race and dads race at the end. Quite grateful that dd has just done her last one in year 6 though, it can get a bit tideous when there's 56 races and she's in 53 and 55! Also wish they won't make year 6 girls do the sack race too. Some of them are quite well endowed by year 6 iykwim!

EnidJane · 11/07/2007 12:06

I talked to the PTA about making more of our school sports day

it is fairly trad but i think they should make more of it

We are having a printed sheet of activities and a coffee stall now

USAUKMum · 11/07/2007 12:38

Guess our sports day is unusal then.....we have three "sports days" Nursery & Reception one day, infants, then juniors. Each class participates in 6 "events" , everyone does every race / activity. For the infants & juniors each is part of a house for which they earn points for winning a race in their class. Final race of infant & junior days is a relay race. The PTA sell sweets, ice creams, snacks & drinks.

alisonmc · 11/07/2007 15:26

I have just returned from DS Sports Day ! What a load of rubbish - this whole non-competitive sport really does make me mad !!!!

The following "activities" (not events) took place:-

Throw the bean bag;
Bean bag shuttle run;
Mini jumps over hoop things;
How many balls can be collected in your hoop;
Two footed standing jump (not long jump);
The daft obstacle race;
Throw a ball with a coloured band on it as far as you can (but not too far!)
3 rest stations (drinks and a sit down after 2 events !)

They all had to collect a star for their cards after each event !!!!

My DH & myself arrived ready for 60m, long jump, throwing events, mini hurdles, etc (just like the old days.............) but nothing like it!

A teacher came over and asked if we were enjoying it - I said that I thought it was absolutely rubbish - this non-competitive sport approach needs to be abandoned! Even some of the children including DS looked absolutely bored - these children play competitive tennis, football & athletics outside school so why make them be non competitive inside school.

Needless to say sports day was 2 & 1/2 hrs -I only lasted an hour before I left. We told DS we were leaving and he said that he could understand as it "was soooooo boring!!!"

What is going on with our schools today????

Original poster

damewashalot · 11/07/2007 16:21

Sounds like the infant school one used to be, but at least they all ge a turn at everything, one of the things that bugs me about the juniors one is they only getting a go at 1 thing and not even something they want to do or are good at it's not right.

OP posts:

wheresmysuntan · 11/07/2007 19:38

'Jas' - just to let you know you are not alone

Whizzz · 11/07/2007 19:45

DS has a team event with all the kids from reception, Yr 1 & yr2 in teams. 'races' include :
crawling through tube
throwing bean bags into hoops
scoring footballl goals
jumping over little jumps etc

points from all are added up

DiagonAllieBongo · 11/07/2007 19:47

ds primary school sports day was lovely. they did a short race, a longer one, a relay with bean bags and hoops. every child raced, and there was 1st, 2nd and 3rd stickers and everyone else got a wll done sticker. parents then had a hideous race, and then there was a massive picnic and we all went home at 1:30. it was fab

Hulababy · 11/07/2007 19:57

DD's sports day was a traditional affair. It was a whole school event held at the local sport's centre on their mutli purpose pitch (no school field on site).

The school are split into 4 houses. The infant classes did 2 races each - one straight forward running race and one novelty race (skipping, egg and spoon, obstacle, sack, etc). The junior age classes did 3 races each (2 novelty races).

The winner and runner up of each race earnt points for their house.

There was no field events, only track type.

Every child in the school took part and did the same races as the rest of their class. Winners were allowed. It was competitive, on a house basis. The winning house was announced at the end and a trophy issued.

It ended with parents races and a toddlers race.

Jas · 12/07/2007 07:14

wheresmysuntan. Thankyou.

The team thing at the junior school was not as bad as I feared yesterday. They had ten teams and ten activities, so they were kept busy most of the time. Lots of ball skills. The weather was not great but very few parents turned up to watch (I know loads turned up two years ago when it was sunny)

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