State schools not doing enough to encourage 'winners' in sport, claims Bristol MP
STATE schools are not doing enough to encourage "winners" in sport, a Bristol MP has claimed.
Tory Charlotte Leslie said children in some comprehensives were "ridiculed" if they are good at sport.
-
Bristol MP Charlotte Leslie
She was speaking after the British Olympic chief said it was "unacceptable" that so many of Team GB's medalists had come from public schools, which make up just seven per cent of the population.
Lord Moynihan, chairman of the British Olympic Association and himself public school-educated, had sparked the debate when he said: "It is wholly unacceptable that over 50% of our medallists in Beijing came from the private sector. It tells you that 50% of the medals came from 7% of the population...There's a massive problem with sports and facilities in our schools, but it's also a much deeper problem."
Business Cards From Only £10.95 Delivered www.myprint-247.co.uk
View detailsOur heavyweight cards have FREE UV silk coating, FREE next day delivery & VAT included. Choose from 1000's of pre-designed templates or upload your own artwork. Orders dispatched within 24hrs.
Terms: Visit our site for more products: Business Cards, Compliment Slips, Letterheads, Leaflets, Postcards, Posters & much more. All items are free next day delivery. www.myprint-247.co.uk
Contact: 01858 468192
Valid until: Friday, May 31 2013
Ms Leslie, who was educated at fee-paying Badminton School, said: “I wonder if it's a problem to with culture. The reason the private sector does well in education is that it's very unapologetic about competition - there are winners and there are losers - and this is certainly not the case for all state schools"
She added: "In some of our state schools, if you are great academically or if you are great on the sports field, you are not celebrated like you are in some other countries, but you are actually ridiculed."
Paul Skipp, director of sport at City Academy, Bristol, did not agree.
He said: "Essentially it's about money and funding. Look at the costs to young people of joining clubs, and playing on a regular basis. "On top of that they have to be transported around, have their kit bought..it's a huge commitment.
"The cost, to the norm of a pupil in a state school, is a barrier, there's no doubt about it."
Comments
by MartinPFarmer
Tuesday, August 07 2012, 10:13PM
“Michael Gove must be by far the biggest obstacle to us becoming a truly great sporting Nation.”
by TorysRule
Tuesday, August 07 2012, 8:29PM
“Oh @Baldeeheed, I wish your ignorant, Guardian reading, left-wing arrogance would simply wither away.
To have schools you need to pay for them
To have schools with lots of big playing fields you need to pay more for them
To have a labour government that successively cut taxes on income whilst spending like maniacs....it doesn't work my dear fellow.
Perhaps you should look at some of those foundation maths courses run by learn direct?”
by Baldeeheed
Tuesday, August 07 2012, 5:33PM
“And ToryRule just succinctly sums up why his party have not one an election for over 20 years, even when presented with an open goal in 2010.
That's because they are represented by the likes of out of touch Charlotte Leslie and supported by the witless such as ToryRule and Charlespk.
Mind you, I do hope they all carry on in the same vein. If they do we won't see another Tory government for another 20 years.
Huzzah!”
by TorysRule
Tuesday, August 07 2012, 1:07PM
“Who cares? Do the schools ever use those grounds anyway?
Charlotte's a clever girl, she knows that all her constituent's kids just stay indoors and flab out on the xbox anyway.
Computer games should be in the Olympics, Britain would do well.”
by smoosername
Tuesday, August 07 2012, 12:15PM
“Maybe this Tory MP could ask her Tory colleagues to stop selling off school playing fields?
http://tinyurl.com/blphslm
"Coalition agreement they would "seek to protect school playing fields"
Funny way of showing it. More lies.”
by bris28
Tuesday, August 07 2012, 12:08PM
“Nobody can accuse this politico in being slow to jump on any old bandwagon to get her name in print.”
by rocketbob
Tuesday, August 07 2012, 10:08AM
“For years Bristol has been a backwater for Sport in general. For various reasons our state schools play very little competitive sport, even football, cricket and rugby rely on local clubs.
We all glow in the glory of the Olympic successes, but when it comes to the attitude and culture of the Bristol Establishment....Not in my back yard! We have better things to spend our money on than the mutual respect taught to the young when they participate in Sport.ANY Sport.”
by MartinPFarmer
Tuesday, August 07 2012, 9:33AM
“If Charlotte is really serious about the future of sport, then in the first instance she needs to talk to her Tory colleague Michael Gove and the claims in the Guardian (6th August) that he has cut £162m a year in school sports funding ("Michael Gove's political own goal on school sports", Guardian 6th August 2012, http://tinyurl.com/bwwdh53)”
by fairycakesx
Monday, August 06 2012, 6:28PM
“Firstly, I'd like to state that I have no political or personal allegiance with Charlotte Leslie but I'm in the difficult position of agreeing with SOME of what she says. Sadly in this country a significant few resent others achieving something. The histories of our sporting stars are littered with stories about them being bullied at school for their achievements. I have worked in education for years and have seen countless incidents of pupils (and parents!) behaving with jealousy or resentment towards those pupils who are successful in school or on a local or national platform, looking for any opportunity to bring them down. Any celebrated success is met with 'they think theyre better than everyone else...' by a small but significant few. This isn't about state or private schools, this happens with children from all sectors of society. It is the responsibility of everyone to encourage children to appreciate the success of others, rather than feel threatened by it.”
by Baldeeheed
Monday, August 06 2012, 4:01PM
“Goodness me! it seems that ppusher is right on Charlotte Leslie's tail for the Gold Medal for utter crass stupidity!
Charlotte - here's a clue. If you don't know about something, keep your mouth shut. You know nothing of the lives and education of ordinary people - if you did, you wouldn't make daft comments like 'people good at sport are ridiculed in state schools'.
No they're not.
ppusher - back under your bridge. State schools a safety net indeed!”