David Cameron and school sports.

janeaisworth

I totally agree with you.

3 years ago our local primary school had a new Head. She did not think competative sport was good for children, much of the same view as most on this thread actually. She stopped the traditional school sports day much to the upset of the mums, dads and children. She was replaced by a new Head who has an appreciation of sport and this year restored the sports day and reinstated the school house teams. All are very happy once again and I am told the children are happier and there seems to be a pride in the school once again now this minor transition has taken place.

I think it is touching on the 'nanny state' if all children have to refrain from competative sport because some children may not like it. Hells bells would you stop exams because some children do not want to do them or may not pass. Quite ridiculous.

Team sport as part of the school ethos is excellent for children when handled properly by the teaching staff. Life is full of hard knocks and not every one can acheive greatness, children are not so dumb they cannot comprehend that, surely.

I have said it before..In 35+years working in state education at primary level (DH in secondary) there was ALWAYS sport on the curriculum. never saw DH on saturdays he was always off with the school sports teams. Daughters played sports, went to Holland as part of hockey team comp, DD2 trained with England Rugby team via school. As Head I always promoted sport/PE both skills development and then competitive sport as kids got older..BUT there are kids for whom sport is not a big deal but are great artists, musicians, mathematicians so for them sporting competition was not the right thing. It is possible to compete /audition for a drama role, to perform music, enter art for an exhibition. All I am saying is schools are there to nurture talent as well as to teach core skills . If the talent is sport /art/music/or whatever they should be treated the same!

nanaej

I do agree with you. The children who, as you say, are great artists, musicians, mathematicians etc. are maybe not sport minded and it is a good school who will nurture their talent also.

My point is if the children who are good at maths, art and music were told 'Well we are sorry but because there are children who are not very good at your favourite subjects, we have decided that the school is not going to carry on with your activities because it is unfair on those who cannot compete with you and may feel insecure and lack self esteem because of it', do you think that scenario would be fair?.

I think school is a place to learn more than simply english and maths. A good school educates their pupils in being part of society, interacting with others, finding out what you are good at and what you are not. It should prepare their children to accept the possibility of failing and learn how to respond to it. In other words help them to grow up to be responsible adaults and be part of society.

I was rubbish at sport but I would never in a million years want others to have to stop enjoying it just because it did not suit me. Is that not a mini 'nanny state'.

Good to read your posts, ej and pogs.

I don't think it should be a matter of either Indian dancing or hockey, for example, or either judo or football. A range of physical activities requiring different levels of commitment, different skills and interesting different children should be on offer. Of course, resources are not limitless, but it is surely not beyond the bounds of ingenuity to offer some team games, some individual sports and some other kinds of physical activities such as dance and yoga.

Encouraging and fostering the talents of the elite sportsmen and women of the future is all to the good, but it is even more important that the majority get some some regular physical activity. Fat kids are not fit kids and will almost certainly become fat adults prone to all manner of diseases, possibly facing a premature death. That is surely a bigger concern for society than a tally of gold medals.

Well said, absent.

That is what happens in the majority of schools absent! Schools do offer a range of physical opportunities and were able to do more when the School Sports programme was up and running. It focused on giving opportunity to all and developing excellence in the elite. Now it seems the knee jerk reaction is to fund specifically competitive sport, which by its very nature narrows down the participant numbers. There will always be those who really enjoy competitive sport and those who prefer their physical activity to be gentler or more artistic: i.e. dance. We should not value one more highly than another!!
The Schools sports partnership , in the borough wher DH works, was able to set up an inter school Strictly Dancing Competition, coached & judged by international dance coaches. It was fantastic...hope this is included in what DC means when he says competitive sport!

I do not have the words to tell you how much I HATED school sport. But for some reason the teachers seemed to think it would do me good!

I had poor balance, poor eyesight and no sense of competition. If we had done some dance or perhaps even indoor badminton or table tennis, I might have coped, but slogging round a wet, cold hockey pitch when I could not even see the ball, and getting detentions for falling off the bar (they thought I was messing about - in fact my balance was useless) put me off sport in a huge way. I would not wish any of it on schoolchildren.

There is something about PE teachers that makes it impossible for them to understand that some people are simply no good at it - whereas art and music teachers seem to understand that some people will struggle with their subjects. Certainly the breed of PE teachers when I was at school were gung-ho and insensitive to a degree. Gosh - it's making me shake just thinking about it!!

Only one of my children liked sport - the others had a grim time of it. One of my daughters invented asthma to get out of sport (unbeknownst to us!)- we kept our mouths shut when the PE teacher mentioned it at a parents' evening!

There seems to be a real consensus on this topic. DC may be a lousy prime minister, but he must have been a great PR man. Unfit nation? Reduced physical activity? Nothing to do with pressure on schools to concentrate on outdated rote-learning; or selling playing fields; or abolishing successful school partnerships.
It is all the fault of trendy progressive schools banning competitive sport!
In line with other policies, the aim is to promote elitism, rather than encouraging sport for all, and for enjoyment.

There seems to be a real consensus on this topic. DC may be a lousy prime minister, but he must have been a great PR man. Unfit nation? Reduced physical activity? Nothing to do with pressure on schools to concentrate on outdated rote-learning; or selling playing fields; or abolishing successful school partnerships.
It is all the fault of trendy progressive schools banning competitive sport!
In line with other policies, the aim is to promote elitism, rather than encouraging sport for all, and for enjoyment.

It also seems a bit odd to be saying it in the middle of such a successful Olympic games for Britain. Presumamble quite a lot of the winners went to these state schools where DC thinks they weren't taught to compete?
I didn't see the closing ceremony, but I read that there was a big cheer when the Indian dancers came on.

Presumamble?? aka presumably...

Just read through this as it was suggested in another thread that I had missed something interesting while on hols.

Some of you will not be surprised that I think dance should be done in all schools. Any kind of dance, not just Indian but not ballet as that is too specific and needs very specialist tuition. Just getting children to move to music is such fun for them and for the teacher too. It is often surprising what they can do with a little encouragement. Pilates would be good as everyone can do that.

I was not good at school sport and hated running round the streets in navy blue knickers for 'cross country running'. I agree that PE teachers seemed to be a bunch on unsympathetic idiots with no understanding of those with little ability. I think it put some of us right off. Later in life I enjoyed playing squash in a league even though I had always thought I was useless. I enjoyed playing cricket with my Grandad and brothers because it was fun but school sport was not.

When DS3b was at the Royal Ballet School they had an Ofsted inspection and were criticsised for not playing team sports! I think it was that they flet the children needed to do something competetive. What a lack of understanding about just how competetive ballet is!

I do know that one of our local independent schools opens to the public all the time as I go there for pilates. I think a lot more do as well in order to maintain their charitable status.

Right on allule and alison

Maybe Ofsted thought that they were competitive Alison and it was the team bit that was needed? Can't imagine a corps de ballet without team work, though! Ofsted does look at the provision of team games as part of the PE curriculum.
As you know, many comprehensive schools have wonderful dance facilities and places for children from out of catchment who show promise in dance and other performing arts.
It was one of the good things about the Schools Sports Partnership that you could get specialist dance teachers in primary schools as well as secondary. Sadly the funding for that was cut by the present government when they came to power.

There is a story that Ofsted criticised a games lesson because too many of the children were standing around doing nothing. Had they never seen a game of cricket before?

Yes that is true, Mamie, about the late lamented SSP

I believe this government cut £165 million that had previously been ring-fenced for school sport, Jess.

Fonix and phutbawl!!! new educational future

Reading through this thread I've come to the conclusion that I was really lucky all those years ago at my newly opened sec mod. OurPE teacher was obviously an exception. In the gym those girls who couldn't manage to leap the horse or box were stood beside them to help support flips or push the spring board back and generally be made to feel useful. In hockey and netball they became linemen. The only except was if you had a period pain - the cure was to run around the playing field until you felt better. You soon did!

NfkDumpling.

Couldn't agree more with your comment about your P.E. teacher. I beleive that competative sport is fine and a good teacher will be respective of the fact some kids will struggle.