Michael Gove, to slash £162m of sports funding in English schools

[legostuckinmyhoover]

Just when is he going to stop. This man has absolutely no idea. And, they keep on saying...'we are not cutting schools budgets...honest!''

www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/nov/20/michael-gove-schools-sport-funding

"Not all schools have fields - in fact many inner city schools have no land at all - Maggie's lot saw to that..."

I refer you to the fact that over 200 school playing fields were sold off under the last Labour government, after a 1997 election manifesto promise that stated they would curtail that practice. From 2004 Education Ministers were personally signing each sale off!

I know it's the first port in a storm, but please don't try to blame it all on Thatcher. Labour broke their promise & any number of fancy playgrounds did not make up for the loss of playing fields for older kids. I don't believe practical provision for sports is top of the list of any political party in reality - it's a more expendable part of education than any other it would appear.

our infant and junior schools (not inner city - just out side of small town centre) have never had a field

We have a local school pool closing as well. We have already lost funding for swimming and after school sports clubs.

the primary school where I volunteer has virtually no outdoor space, despite being in the middle of a village in the country.

Just to add for those who are pointing out (rightly) that the schools budget seems to be not exactly ring-fenced that Gove has announced changes to GCSE. ''We want to get rid of modularisation of GCSEs....instead of GCSEs being split into bite-sized elements..its important that at the end of the GCSE course that the student should be examined on everything they have learnt at one time. So well have fewer exams but a concentration on a more rigorous approach at age 16...less time and money spent on examinations is a good thing.``
I wonder what that last sentence really means
This is probably a whole other thread.

Riven, how did it go at the school today?

Litchick: I agree with your points about local, virtually free sports activities available to all. So if it isn't broken, why fix it?

If the govt remove sports funding, that will also presumably mean cutting the money to train the coaches and parents who give their time for free - to help other people's children ....

Riven

Gove is the saviour of the state education, what little there is left of it after Balls the Bolshie had a go at it.

saviour?

Troops for Teachers (Military self-discipline???)
Teachnext replaces Teachfirst, but is exactly the same.
Only academies can do what they want... but oh! failing schools will be turned into academies.
More grammar and spelling, but you're free to design your own curriculum.
I could go on.

Yeah.... saviour.
The guy's demented.

Jesus. If I'd been forced to either run round a field or play fuking football all the time for PE I'd have faked a limp more often. (have genetic joint problems)

People are so out of touch as to what sports funding actually means for schoolchildren. What about tennis raquets, what about netballs, hockey balls and actual nets. What about cricket nd rounders, and sand for the longjump pit that isn't full of cat shit?

How is it possible to encourage children to be active when the poorest most vulnerable children get left with some of the most boring, depressing and exclusive sports around just because they are cheap?

I can't run fast. Joint problems. I hate running, especially since my problems kicked off during puberty. I have a friend with serious dyspraxia who lacked the coordination to be of any "use" in team sports. The picture being painted now is very demoralising for those who need extra help or alternatives, poor or not.