John McGowan considers the horrors of school sports day and suggests a surprisingly simple remedy
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| The loser's standing small? Photo: Alethe |
‘Well done darling! You did
brilliantly.’ As summer term draws to a
close, parents get to enact the timeless rituals of sports day. Cheer, take
photos of a sprinting child and celebrate success. The chance to shine in front
of the whole school, and mums and dads too. A good thing, no? Rolling up to my own children’s sports day
this year though, my eye was distracted by the other end of the proceedings:
the kids labouring in while the winners were posing for pictures. I swear they
were pretty much the same kids who brought up the rear last year. In fact, I
know they were. What, I wondered, is the benefit of sports day for them?
