Social Advice
Children to be taught how to Win (and lose)
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Return of that dirty word in school sports....COMPETITION!!!!
Tony Blair has been accused of an embarrassing U-turn on school sports as one of his ministers promises the return of competitive games.
Culture secretary Tessa Jowell prompted the row after attacking “politically correct nonsense” which claims competition damages children.
She vowed that Labour would restore the number of competitive sports matches between different schools if they won a third term.
But Conservative leader Michael Howard, in a keynote speech later today will attack Labour for being the architects of a wave of “political correctness gone mad” which said children should not be exposed to the concept of winning and losing.
He will cite a Government backed booklet in 2000 that warned nursery school teachers that musical chairs encouraged aggressive behaviour and another in 2002, which advised schools to replace traditional sports days with group “problem solving exercises”. “there are so many examples of political correctness, its hard to know where to start,” Mr Howard said.
Ms Jowell, a keen runner, said she wanted pupils to take part in more competitive fixtures after school. She said “What competing in sport in childhood does is teach children how to win and lose, which is not only good for them when they’re at school but stands them in good stead for the rest of their lives. The more children who play sport, the more likely it is they are going to discover a talent.” She even backed boxing in school, providing there were safeguards.
Other Conservatives have joined Mr Howard’s attack, with Michael Fabricant, a member of the culture, media and sport Commons committee, saying “ I welcome the U-turn. But by not allowing time for sport to be taught in schools, there can be no return to the days when sports days were a part in school life. With most teachers having to spend every spare hour filling in forms for the Department of Education, where will they find the time to teach sport?”
Bob Carstairs, assistant general of the secondary heads Association, echoed those fears, saying teachers were under too much pressure to find time to teach sport after school.
The Tories point out that at the 2001 Labour Party Conference, Tony Blair promised a three-year £750million spending programme to improve sports facilities. But by March 2004 only £10million had been spent.
Two years ago, Government Quango sport England produced a “sports day tool kit” advising schools to encourage events where children did not compete directly against each other.