Star comment: Learning to win is important
The timing could not be worse. News that many children are no longer allowed to play competitive sport in our schools broke while the nation licked its wounds over a probable exit from the World Cup.
The ignominy suffered at the hands of Uruguay, the second-smallest nation in South America, has thrown our plight into sharp relief.
Ofsted inspectors undertook research after finding that a disproportionately low number of professional sports people emerge from state schools. While public schools account for the education of fewer than ten per cent of pupils, they produce a disproportionately high number of pros.
The reason is simple: sport is taken seriously in public schools. Instate schools, however, it is an adjunct to the normal curriculum. Many teachers view competitive sport as an 'optional extra'.
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It is time for a change. In generations past, the nation's cricket, football, hockey and rugby pitches were where children went into battle. Netball and tennis were also the arenas for duels between different schools.
That culture no longer exists. It is no wonder that our national teams struggle, that we are routinely beaten by smaller, less-well-resourced nations and that obesity is ever-increasing.
Competitive sports gives youngsters a chance to express themselves. It inspires and gives them a will to win. The effects of victory on the school sports field can last a lifetime.
The appetite for victory can encourage children to great deeds in business, in the community and elsewhere. A lack of exposure to competition has the opposite effect. It leads to a culture of soft-centred children who give up when the going gets tough.
Sir Michael Wilshaw, Ofsted's chief inspector, has highlighted the problems in a new report. He points out that children who win on the pitch also win in the exam hall. He believes children who are not allowed to compete receive a poorer education.
There are countries around the world that embrace competitive sport more readily, such as Australia and, dare we say it, Uruguay, Italy and Brazil.
The time has come for change. We do not want to turn children into Machiavellian schemers who would win at all costs. But exposure to competition helps turn children into well-rounded adults with a hunger to succeed. The nation needs a little more will to win.
