UK NEWS

SCHOOL SPORTS DAYS COME RACING BACK

HEALTHY COMPETITION: Pupils have plenty to gain from sport

Sunday June 3,2007

By Hilary Douglas, Education Editor

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BRITAIN’S schoolchildren are rediscovering what it’s like to be winners – and losers – for the first time in decades.

After years of politically correct mumbo-jumbo frowning upon children beating classmates in the egg-and-spoon race, Labour’s 2005 General Election promise to encourage youngsters to be the first past the winning post is itself proving a winner.

And investment of more than £1.5billion to 2008 is helping schools to encourage every child to exercise, whatever their ability.

A DfES spokesman said: “Competitive sport is on the rise in schools; 97 per cent of schools held at least one sports day. We are firmly in favour of competitive sport and we know it is popular.

“It builds self-esteem, teamwork and leadership skills and can improve a child’s education and, crucially, their health.”

The Social And Emotional Aspects Of Learning programme is actively encouraging teachers to help children be resilient and accept they will not win everything in life. The strategy also shows them how to cope with the disappointment of failure.

Children know who has won and who has lost and to pretend any differently is silly

Jo Walker of Freegrounds Junior School, Southampton

Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell indicated the change of mood before the 2005 General Election.

“We have got to move beyond the politically correct nonsense of the Eighties that competition damages children and sports days are undesirable. You have only to look at what young children do in the playground to see that they thrive on competition.”

Jo Walker of Freegrounds Junior School, Southampton, is a PE specialist. “Sport is a big thing in our school and all the children love it,” she says.

“Competition is good for children and they all aspire to be the best but to make sure everyone is able to have fun, we offer a wide range of sporting activities including golf, so everyone is able to find something they are good at. Children know who has won and who has lost and to pretend any differently is silly.”

Research shows young children are the most competitive of all ages, says Margaret Morrissey of the National Confederation of Parent Teacher Associations.

“You have only to watch them in the playground, always striving to be fastest or strongest, to know children like trying to win.

“It is part of a natural progression of learning that little ones learn about losing as well as winning. It is what will happen in real life – they might as well start learning these lessons early.

“When the PC brigade got rid of school sports days and had group races instead, no one asked children what they wanted. The feedback over the years was they missed the chance to show off how quickly they could run.

“Even if they didn’t win, they were not overly bothered. They also practised for weeks in advance, so it was great healthy exercise.”