Schools today are more aware than ever of issues in the news; we informed children about the tsunami and New Orleans flood and talk about famine in Africa.
Yet just how many of our children were allowed to celebrate the recent sporting achievements of this country: the Ashes win, the Rugby World Cup or the fact we secured the 2012 Olympics? My children certainly were not.
Our young people need now, more than ever, to feel positive about their lives, instead of only sharing the despair arising from the images of disaster that they are bombarded with.
But our schools appear to care little about celebrating our sporting achievements. The emphasis on the importance of PE in schools has never been lower. Those playing fields, and in my children’s case, athletics tracks, once lost are lost for ever, and competition, whilst still encouraged in academic subjects, is often not acceptable in sport.
The allocated two hours a week for PE is also getting squeezed: in practice it is less than one-and-a-half hours. No wonder we have a problem with overweight children. The mental and physical benefits of sport and the chance to build relationships and team spirit, are being overlooked as the curriculum is overloaded with academic subjects.
Helen Burton 23 Lawrence Drive Brinsley, Notts
