A few parents want their children to skip the school's joint sports morning with a special school

silver_diary_208510 Jun 2026

Our elder daughter's school has announced a sports morning in July, shared with a nearby school for children with disabilities. Mixed teams, simple races, a relay where every team has children from both schools. My daughter is in class 3 and is very excited about it. In the class group, three or four parents have asked whether attendance is compulsory. Nobody has said why, and nobody has replied to them either. I would like to say something supportive without starting an argument in a group of sixty parents. Has anyone seen this handled well, either by the school or by another parent?

2 comments

coral_puzzle_555511 Jun 2026
Our school did something similar two years ago. What helped most was a short note from the school a week before, explaining the format and saying it was part of the day like any other sports event, not an optional extra. The questions in the group stopped after that. If you do post, I'd keep it to how much your daughter is looking forward to it. People argue with opinions; they rarely argue with a happy child.
lemon_trail_855813 Jun 2026
I would not answer them in the group at all. Write to the class teacher and suggest the school explain the plan at the next meeting. Parents who ask 'is it compulsory' are often worried about something practical, timing or transport, and a public reply makes their question sound like an accusation.