Planning your School Sports Day
We might not be having the sunniest summer term, but it’s June everybody, and that means it’s time to get planning for Sports Day!
With just a few weeks to go until the end of the school year, we strongly recommend getting a date in the diary for your school Sports Day.
For many schools, this may be the first Sports Day for 2 years, and therefore the first ever Sports Day for many Key Stage 1 children.
We have all the Sports Day resources required to run a fabulous fun Sports Day, with options of…
The standard 1 day Sports Day is quite straightforward and easy to organise with a carousel of class activities in the morning followed by whole-school races in the afternoon. We recommend the children compete in their ‘houses’ to give all pupils a fair chance to gather points towards their team, regardless of age and ability. Our resources will guide you through everything you need to deliver a fun festival of events.
A themed School Sports Day
If you really want to go for it, you could follow our Olympic Sports Day/Week programme! Our resources require full investment of time, particularly from the PE Coordinator, but wow what an event! There are options of a 1 day event or 5 day event, but both require a degree of time and effort.
There are so many benefits to the Olympic event. As well as the sporting events, there are opportunities to engage your ‘less sporty’ children with roles such as Games Makers, Organising Committees and Cheerleaders.
Don’t be put off from all the resources! Once you have read the guidance you will see that if everyone ‘does their bit’, the whole programme could be a huge success for your school. We recommend holding a staff meeting to introduce the programme and explain what is required from each member of staff…
The Olympic Coordinator will need to gather a team of Games Makers, an Organising Committee, and a Cheerleading Squad. If you set enough time aside, and really engage these pupils, you’ll be well on your way to running an amazing event. Each Class Teacher will need to follow the guidance set out for their particular Year Group. There are resources for classroom learning, Sports Practise, and on-the-day guidance.
Sports Day Checklist
Whether you choose a standard Sports Day or an Olympic event, here’s a few important things to remember…
Equipment Check:
Don’t leave it until last minute to check you have all the correct working equipment. And remember some of the time there will be several groups playing the same games, so you may need more than 1 of everything.
Wet Weather Plan:
What will you do if the weather is dreadful? Perhaps have a contingency day if you do not have enough indoor space.
Hot Weather Plan:
Have parents been reminded of sunscreen, sunhats, etc. Is there plenty of refreshments available for the children?
Toilets:
Do all staff know which toilets will be available on the day? Do you need toilet monitors? Consider portaloo’s if your field is a distance away from school.
Staff:
Are all staff prepared with everything they need to know. Top-Tip: Do not give staff their score sheets too early, this may seem a well organised thing to do, until someone forgets to bring their scoresheets with them! Remember spare pens/pencils.
Cover:
If a member of staff is absent, can someone take on their responsibilities for the day?
Parents:
Are parents allowed to spectate? If so, are all safeguarding requirements in place? Pay particular attention to parents wanting to take their children home after the event without informing school staff!
Prizes:
Have all prizes/certificates been ordered? Do you have a prize list sheet to ensure prize giving runs smoothly? Have you allocated enough time at the end of the day for prize giving? (it always takes longer than you think!).
Field:
Have you arranged with Site Staff to have the grass cut and the area checked for litter, dog mess, etc. If you use a shared facility, ensure you have booked it out.
First Aid:
Is there a nominated First Aider for the day? Do they have all the equipment they require? Will they be easy to find/contact on the day?
Risk Assessment:
Has a Risk Assessment been carried out and filed to the appropriate colleagues?
Good luck everyone. We really hope you manage to fit in a Sports Day for your pupils. These are the days we never forget!! If you need more help with the planning, read our blog post How to prepare for Sports Day.
If there’s anything we can help with, please just give us a shout! We are on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram and would love for you to follow us and get in touch.
