Days of virtual sports fun for pupils

Walton and Lees Hill Primary School is ending the academic year on a high note with a week of virtual sports days.

Pupils, and their family members, were encouraged to pick a date throughout the week to try to tackle the nine events and the “ultimate challenge”.

Acting headteacher Fiona Stobbart said: “As we approach the end of what is the school year, you just realise all of the things that the children are missing out on – the normal celebration events and different things that we would normally have planned.

“Sports day is something that the children, staff, parents, and the community really look forward to so it was just 'how can we do it at a distance?' It came from that idea.”

Their sports days feature some of the usual fun – such as an egg and spoon race and welly toss – but there are some not so typical events, like a cushion race, where runners race around their garden with a pillow on their head, and a toilet roll race.

“The toilet roll challenge has been quite significant during lockdown and initially there was that demand for toilet roll in the early days.

“We do have quite a few farming families so the wellie toss is aimed at them really.

“The teabag in the teacup were all things we would have to hand at home.”

It all makes for a memorable end to the school year and one that brings the children, and the community, back together in a virtual way.

The children were excited about the events because of this, and because it was something just a bit different.

“It will be different but fun doing it at home because our own family members can join our team,” they said.

“The events are a bit different to the ones we normally do, so that will be fun too.”

Parents, brothers, sisters, friends, staff, and other members of the community have been invited to get involved in the events this week, with the “ultimate” challenge being to design an obstacle course from scratch and then try to complete it as fast as possible.