Does Size Matter? Are big schools always at an advantage in sport?

“They have got more to pick from!” is a regular refrain explaining the competitive success of large schools.  Certainly,  if sporting ability followed the curve of normal distribution - and no other factors were involved - then this would be true.  It can't be as simple as that though, or else there would be a linear relationship with pupil roll and trophy cabinet congestion.

Size creates challenges for schools in delivering sport.  It's not a magic formula, in which big is best.  A principal challenge is one of quality control.  It is more difficult to ensure that a large number of pupils has a positive experience than a small number.  Beyond the critical mass needed to maintain a high performance programme, larger pupil populations make demands on resources that can stretch the capacity to deliver quality.

The simple mathematics are not irrelevant, but they are far from the whole picture. Much more significant is the strength of the culture.  Where this is strong, sport has always been able to thrive in relatively small schools.  This is a nebulous quality, built slowly over time, which shines through the life of an organisation. 

Sport has never been important to all children.  But the proportion that is inspired by physical endeavour, want to be fully involved and strive to improve varies enormously between schools.  Neither does it correlate closely with school type.  Big, small, boarding, day, urban, rural, academic and otherwise: all can have a strong culture where it is cool to be fit and active, and sports teams are important and valued.  Where the culture is weak, pupils pursue a more selfish agenda.  They don't show commitment to teams and teammates, and they don't develop perseverance towards difficult, medium term goals.  These schools struggle to keep a shrinking programme of competition going, and blame external factors for the decline of games.  And envy bigger schools their pupil numbers, believing that would solve all problems.

The most important thing a school can have in sport is a strong culture of participation.  Aspiration, commitment, selflessness and teamwork all emerge from this.  Culture is far more significant than resources such as facilities.  And more difficult to build.  There are no shortcuts, and no magic formulas.  The most important thing a Director of Sport brings is an understanding of how to establish culture, and inspire pupils, staff and parents to value and respect it.

Able and enthusiastic pupils are drawn towards schools that do sport well.  Where the experience is positive.  Motivated pupils drive each other on, and develop exponentially in an environment where effort is important, and success follows endeavour.  The most fertile conditions for development are where the best play with and against each other in a supportive atmosphere, which values the effort they make.  These are the foundations of competitive success, and confound attempts to categorise competitive standards entirely on pupil numbers.  Culture is always better than conscription.

So, ask not the size of the school in the game - consider the size of the game in the school. That's what matters most.