Skiving school sports day- would that be terrible?

[shoppingbagsundereyes]

Sports day last year was grim. Dd and I arrived. Ds cried because he had to stay with his class. Kept trying to escape. Race 1- ds sets off with massive grin and lolloping gait, everyone zoomed past him, he ran off the track crying. Race 2- I persuade ds to try again, egg and spoon. He is doing well, drops egg, loud melt down. Other parents staring, me burning up. By race 3 I had found his teacher and explained he would be spending the rest of the afternoon watching with me. Felt really self conscious as I was the only one whose dc wasn't coping.
So this year I think I will tell ds he looks a bit poorly and ditch the day and save us all the grief. Is that awful? Am I teaching him to skive stuff that is difficult? He's only 6 and won't realise why we aren't going to school.

Sounds like a very sensible idea.

Sounds good to me too.

We had similar experiences at Dd3's old school. Last year at her new school she spent the afternoon doing sports with her friends who are wheelchair users, so avoided the humiliation of being clapped for being miles behind everyone else and this year they are attempting a mixture of olympic and paralympic games so I think she will be fine.

I would. Sounds like ritual humiliation.

Skiving sports day is absolutely necessary.

Take him out for the day. Do what he likes and tell school it is educational.

Agree its not worth the anguish. I kept ds home last year. He went to watch his sisters instead to see how its done win or lose :) With DS it is far too long to sit out in the heat on his chair and not be able to move to wait turns in racing. He cant understand why he can see me but cant come over to say hi and it caused no end of trouble the year before.

No sweat missing sports day. In fact DS has often missed party day as well. They are supposed to enjoy it, if he hates it and is embarrassed and upset what's the educational value?

Phew. Pleased to hear it's not such a big deal. Will go to the museum instead which he would love. He hates competition of any kind, even ' let's see who can get their shoes on first' type races make him cry. Even when he could easily beat his little sister he refuses to compete. Have long since stopped using races as a way to hurry him up.

im considering keeping mine home - he is in year 6 and in an unit. they have been rehearsing for it and he is already refusing to take part. the TA put in his book that she had spoken to the head of the unit and has asked for him to have 1:1 support at sports day - i would have thought he would have it anyway as he is in the unit so reading between the lines they are dumping placing him with his mainstream peers - and i know i will turn up on the day and he will be unsupported thank god he only has 29 days left at the school before he moves to a special secondary school

It' no it deal. In matter of fact as soon as it was within my control, I skipped sports day myself as a kid and I wasn't even bad at sports.

I'm still in two minds about whether to take DD in on sports day. DD is the only child in school with any physical probs and I don't think the school has thought for one second about how they will deal with it! I agree, it is ritual humiliation for many children - they don't have to 'compete' on reading or musical ability so why sport

I say take him to the museum where you'll both have a lovely day and he'll get much more out of it!

God this makes me feel so sad for all our children. My little boy is due to have his first sports day this year but we are at GOSH having intensive physio rehab so he'll miss it unless its rained off. If he did go, he wouldn't be able to sit on the ground for long, he'll be tripping over all the time, he'll be last and that's if he isn't just locked in his own little world all afternoon. Pray for sunshine! The school are also doing their annual 3 mile ramble which we all think is too long for them to walk anyway. I'm going to speak to headteacher as she won't have even considered my son. He'll need his maclaren major buggy (can't see then managing over stiles with that!) Dont know whether to laugh or cry sometimes! X

Good idea shoppingbags. In 8yo DS case, school has a sports evening at the school sports ground- all the parents turn up, its usually freezing, and DS loses the plot in all that open space. Think we will have something unmissable on that evening this year!

School authorised ds's absence on sports day after the time he used the beanbags for target practise with the Headteacher's head for the target. He has a fearsome shot and managed three on target despite her ducking for cover and the TA and teacher trying to get them off of him.Then the TA did three laps of the playing field trying to catch him when he broke for freedom.They were somewhat relieved when I offered to keep him at home I think

We'll be missing ours too - DS is in Year 1. We'll be going to the London Transport museum to look at lots of old buses!