Was your school academic or sporting?

[Silver Bear]

Did your school place more emphasis on work or sport? At mine, the emphasis was very strongly on sport. Although academic success was valued, it wasn't rated as highly as playing for the House or the School. This was true both among the boys, who favoured sporting prowess over 'swotting' and the masters, who were in the main obsessed with sport.

Of course this was in the 1970s/early 80s before League Tables, etc. and it was also a private boys' school that had extensive sports facilities. There was still the 19th century idea of 'character building' and 'team spirit' was continuously invoked.

[tex]

From what i have read previously here i suspect private boys schools did put more emphasis on sporting prowess which seems like a waste of time and money as i also suspect very few students go on to a career in sport and realistically what percentage of students even wanted a career in sport? Surely that time would of been better spent actually learning something that will be of more value once leaving school? just my opinion

[Silver Bear]

In many ways I agree with you and wish I’d had a more academic schooling (I’m very much for vocational education as well). On the other hand I enjoyed participating in sport and probably did benefit from it in some ways.

i became more academic at university and went on to study at postgraduate level.

Like many teenaged boys at that time I went through a phase of being interested in a military career and considered both Army and Navy. Sport was very much valued by the Armed Forces of course.

[80sChav]

My first Secondary was what you'd term these days as "sink/going on sink/needing Ofstead in shortly", so to be as kind as I can be to it 9and the few good memories I have) I can not call either way. It was so like Grange Hill in 1978, with it's biiuldings and Windows put through every weekend - like GH around about 1984 and the likes and a mega Assembly Hall and Tuck Shop and the like - it was much of a muchness compared to other Inner-Town School's I'd say

My 2nd one though I'd easily go and say it was more more Accademic - especialy based on the Headmaster's unusual Christian name, he was like "Prince Charles meets Michael Burke meets other Council Dignity's (including Lord Mayor type guys")

[Silver Bear]

My first Secondary was what you'd term these days as "sink/going on sink/needing Ofstead in shortly", so to be as kind as I can be to it 9and the few good memories I have) I can not call either way. It was so like Grange Hill in 1978, with it's biiuldings and Windows put through every weekend - like GH around about 1984 and the likes and a mega Assembly Hall and Tuck Shop and the like - it was much of a muchness compared to other Inner-Town School's I'd say

My 2nd one though I'd easily go and say it was more more Accademic - especialy based on the Headmaster's unusual Christian name, he was like "Prince Charles meets Michael Burke meets other Council Dignity's (including Lord Mayor type guys")

I have a lot of good friends who went to schools like your first one. Working in property management I do a lot of work with builders and roofers, many of whom become great mates. Really good people with values I like.

[Arran]

From what i have read previously here i suspect private boys schools did put more emphasis on sporting prowess which seems like a waste of time and money as i also suspect very few students go on to a career in sport and realistically what percentage of students even wanted a career in sport? Surely that time would of been better spent actually learning something that will be of more value once leaving school? just my opinion

I was saying exactly the same thing even back when I was at school that only a tiny fraction of school leavers ever become professional sportsmen, and most of them train and participate in sports outside of PE lessons, so why do schools place so much emphasis on sporting prowess and competitive team sports?

I also commented that the number of secondary school leavers since 1980 who became computer programmers vastly outnumbered those who became professional footballers. Therefore should secondary schools be teaching computer programming rather than football? This was before the computer science GCSE existed.

Even primary schools place a heavy emphasis on sporting prowess, and ball sports are a compulsory part of the National Curriculum, but schools don't teach children how to swim or ride a bike which are arguably more useful in real life than playing ball sports. In recent years some primary schools have included balance bikes in PE lessons but opinions of parents are mixed as many believe that it's something that children should learn outside of school and schools should stick with teaching traditional sports in PE lessons.

Be aware that a lot of high ranking private schools are really culture clubs more than schools. Students do not face the same challenges in employment and higher education that students from middle class families face because they are well connected with high society. Many high ranking private schools aren't all that good academically.

[George 1978]

I suppose that my school was more academic because it was a bog standard comprehensive - I know that a lot of the posh boys' schools were more sporting.

I never liked sport at school - I just couldn't understand why one would be dragged into mud on some days and even kicked as much as the ball was. Not my sort of thing back then.

[Arran]

I have never really understood why secondary schools need to teach common or mainstream sports in PE lessons other than tradition or popular culture.

A PE teacher told me that south Asian boys are only interested in football and cricket and few have any inclination towards any other sporting activities.

I know an independent school that never includes football in PE lessons but instead has a strong emphasis on rugby because it's more middle class.

[battyrat]

I went to secondary. The school seemed to promote everything was of equal importance. But I suppose every teacher thought their subject was more important then the next. The worse being the sports teachers who thought they were the bee's knee's and top of the crop. Our art and RE teachers did not give a hoot if you learnt any thing or not.I won't even mention the rest.

[tex]

My school was all about damage limitation, nobody had any desire to learn anything, i came away from school relatively unaffected by the total lack of discipline but most people left school with no qualifications of any consequence, i expect the majority of the morons in my year went straight to the back of the dole queue