THE mother of a Ventnor primary school pupil said she and other parents were 'furious' at not being allowed to watch their children partake in the annual Sports Day.

Megan, whose daughter and son both attend St Francis Catholic and Church of England Primary Academy on Newport Road, was hoping to be able to observe the event while following social distancing guidelines.

However, she says parents were informed this would not be possible via a school newsletter issued earlier this week.

The school said the decision was in line with Government guidance, and the Isle of Wight Council said many schools had decided against inviting parents along.

Megan said: "Myself and other parents are absolutely furious over not getting to watch our kids on Sports Day when other sporting events can carry on with hundreds of people in attendance.

"I'm devastated I can't attend and support my children, especially as it will be my daughter's first one."

A spokesperson for St Francis Primary Academy told the County Press the decision was taken with the safety of the school in mind.

They said: "We took the decision not to invite parents to the 2021 Sports Day to keep children and staff at the school safe.

"This decision is in line with the Government's guidance to minimise the risk of transmission of Covid-19.

"We are pleased the children at St Francis will still have a sports day and the staff will be sharing lots of wonderful photos for the parents to see."

The Isle of Wight Council backed the decision not to allow parents to congregate at such events, citing the need to be cautious in light of potential transmission of the virus.

A spokesperson for the IW Council said: “The Department for Education has issued guidance to all schools about a number of events that normally take place at the end of the school year.

"The section about sports days says: ‘Sports days can go ahead. In line with the rest of the system of controls, pupils and students must remain in their bubbles, and early years children should remain in their consistent groups as is usual for your setting.'

 “There is also a section on spectators which says: ‘Spectators must adhere to current social distancing requirements. Where events take place outdoors, spectators can gather in separate groups of up to 30 – the legal gathering limit. Multiple groups of 30 are permitted.’

"Many headteachers are rightly concluding given the current increase in transmission, and subject to local risk assessments, it might be unwise to allow large gatherings of parents on the school field so have decided against this.“