If you read last month’s article you will appreciate that organisation and discipline are strong points in Coltishall Primary School administration.

How would this apply to School Sports Day? The answer is in much the same way as the school deals with the morning arrival at school. Sports Day spans only 1 hour from 2 to 3 pm. How can you have a sports day that only lasts one hour? I hear you ask. The answer is you have a plan, one that has clearly developed and proved workable over the years. The sports are divided into two separate groups Reception, Y1, Y2 and Y 3 - Y6.

Y3 - Y6 carry out their races on a marked out running track and I cannot comment on the races themselves as I was watching the younger children. Judging from the noise and excitement being generated it must have been fun.

Reception - Y2 have five events and five sets of children who, on the sound of a teacher’s whistle, move from event to event, as do their spectator parents. The results are recorded in a flurry of clipboards and winning stickers.

Parents who have children in both age groups get more exercise than most whilst running between the two separate groups.

Results are declared, there is much cheering and a cup is awarded. Somehow the spirit of competition is upheld without the losers being too disappointed. There is genuine joy in simply taking part. For striking that balance the school is to be commended.

I cannot let this article go without commenting on the excellent artistic creations made by the children that surrounded the new play area. Somehow plastic bottles, coloured paper, sticky tape etc had been miraculously turned into a 6 foot high dragon, an ostrich and other wonderful and colourful creations. They were admired and enjoyed by many at the Sports Day.

M D