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The Changing Tone of School Sport

Posted Saturday, 17 June 2017

How important is winning? The answer to this - apparently spurious - question massively influences the success criteria of school sport. If winning is the most important thing, it has implications that are far reaching. It influences how the game is coached, refereed, team selection, substitution, as well as the...

Who are the Real Losers in School Sport?

Posted Wednesday, 14 June 2017

It's the end of the match day. It might be Wednesday afternoon or Saturday morning. Or any other time. The teams leave the field with contrasting body language which clearly divides the winners from the losers. Exchanging handshakes of varying levels of sincerity, they head towards the inevitable post mortem,...

“Do School Prospectuses Promote the Wrong Features of Sport?”

Posted Friday, 2 June 2017

Reunion Values – or Prospectus Values? Sport plays an important part in school reunions. Whether formal or informal, a gathering of people with their schooldays in common rarely omits reference to experiences on the playing fields. Although they are not universally positive – many are. What do people value about...

Why Does Watching School Sport Make Adults Behave Like This?

Posted Thursday, 25 May 2017

If you only looked at the coaches and the spectators, it could be the World Cup Final. The constant stream of instructions, encouragement, vilification and despair testify to the emotional commitment. Regular comments about the officiating suggest that these people are at the edge of their self control. If you...

Schools Need Exercise to Improve Exam Grades

Posted Monday, 22 May 2017

"If exercise came in pill form, it would be plastered across the front page, hailed as the blockbuster drug of the century". Ratey and Hagerman Schools have often implied a link between academic performance and physical activity. Every summer term, the debate rages as to whether playing summer sports enhances...

Why School Cricket is More Important Than Ever

Posted Friday, 12 May 2017

Cricket in schools has faced a cocktail of problems as far back as most people can remember. Since the inception of league tables there has been a tension between the game and exam preparation; the summer term is ever shorter and the English climate is unreliable. But none of these...