While Boris Johnson purports that state schools should provide two hours sports a day as the UK glows in a golden halo of Olympic triumphs, I would like to question why our school sports fields remain unused during summer breaks.
This has long been a bug bear of mine during long holiday breaks throughout the year, with most school doors and gates firmly locked during this time, and I regard this as a waste of valuable resources. At least, that has been my experience in East Cambridgeshire.
Some schools are fortunate enough to have swimming pools, playing fields, gymnasiums and football pitches to train our future athletic stars, yet they frequently remain out of bounds for our eager young sports fans for a large chunk of the year.
When I have raised this question in the past, I am told it comes down to insurance and red tape.
If we can resolve this bureaucracy, we may well be on track for many more stunning sporting accolades.
Quite right, Ellee!
Agree completely but I have no idea how you would get over the bureaucracy. Ground maintenance and sports facilities need maintenance which requires resources. It always comes down to who will pay?
I imagine it’s a question of maintenance and insurance. Schools would be hard put to pay for repairs if any damage were done in the summer. Two hours a DAY? Boris should bear in mind that, for some children, an hour a week is torture!
Ellee: Of course, I agree with you completely. This situation is ludicrous. Kids get into all kinds of trouble when resources such as these are literally closed doors to opportunity.
Two hours sports a day ???
With 20% illiteracy rate hadn’t be better get them reading first ?
I believe that we should be pushing children according to their aptitudes and using elitism to drag everyone up rather than down as we have been doing. That includes kids who show an aptitude for sport.
2 hours of sport a day would have done me no good at all.
Hi Elleeseymour …
Not sure if it is completely relevant, as I am not sure of the type of grass or standard weather patterns you are having lately, but in Aus, we find that drought and overuse of grass during summer turns our ovals into dust bowls. Councils have put restrictions on watering of ovals so the only way of keeping original grass with long roots is to rest ovals over summer.
Is that possibly a good reason for inaction?