Olympic legacy - Cameron slammed

8:00am Saturday 11th August 2012 in News Photograph of the Author By Barry Nelson, Health Editor

AS the nation prepares to celebrate the end of a hugely successful Olympics this weekend, the Prime Minister was last night engulfed in a furious row over the Games’ sporting legacy.

Tomorrow night’s closing ceremony will bring the curtain down on a record-breaking fortnight of unprecedented success for Britain’s athletes.

But David Cameron was yesterday forced to defend the scrapping of targets for the amount of sport children play in school. He said some teachers had met the targets by making children do “sports”

such as “Indian dance”.

That prompted a furious response from teachers and unions, who said the Government’s indifference to school sports threatened to tarnish the Olympic’s golden legacy.

The Prime Minister has come under fire for ditching a requirement on schools to offer pupils at least two hours a week of sport and for scrapping School Sports Partnerships, which brought together sports clubs and schools.

Sports lecturer Ian Whyte, from Sunderland University, urged the Government to restore the partnerships and backed Boris Johnson’s call for primary school children to have at least two hours of physical exercise a day.

Mr White, who was involved in the School Sport Partnerships, said: “I think it is rich that David Cameron is criticising teachers and then cutting away something that seemed to be working well.

The School Sport Partnerships provided the link between schools and sports clubs.”

Mr White urged the Prime Minister to restore the partnerships and introduce a minimum of two hours physical exercise a day for primary school pupils.

“Research has shown there are major benefits, in and out of school,” he said.

“Most children aged one to five tend to be active given the chance, but we take them to school and sit them behind a desk all day.”

Peter King, headteacher of Corporation Road Primary School, in Darlington, and the local branch secretary for the National Association of Headteachers, slammed the decision to remove the two hours’ requirement and funding for local school sports coordinators.

“Local coordination is the key to success in bridging school and local club participation and in Darlington helps to ensure regular interschool competitions in many sports,” he said.

“David Cameron has also suggested that state schools are not providing enough Olympians because we do not hold competitive sports days.

“I am not sure where he gets this information from because even if this were universally true, it would not be a determining factor.

“In our school, we hold competitive races on our sports day, for example, with all children required to participate and with most points awarded for first, second and third.

“But as great as this is, it does not lead to future gold medallists alone.

“What we do now need to ensure is that there is full awareness of local sports clubs, links between these clubs and schools, ways to make out-of-school participation affordable for more parents and, perhaps most difficult, educating parents to be a little tougher as their children inevitably go through phases of losing interest.”

Earlier, Mr Cameron said: “The trouble we have had with targets up to now, which was two hours a week, is that a lot of schools were meeting that by doing things like Indian dance or whatever, that you and I probably would not think of as sport, so there is a danger of thinking all you need is money and a target.

“If that was the solution, we would have solved the problem by now.”

The Prime Minister said pupils should be doing as much sport in schools as possible, and denied selling school playing fields.

He said: “As well as the facilities and the money, what we really need is a change in culture in our schools and in society that says sport is good, competitive sport is good, school games are good.”

Comments(41)

David Lacey says...
11:20am Sat 11 Aug 12

The infection than runs through the Echo's ranks runs deep and true - and always to the left. This story is a gross distortion of the truth. Here is a headline from another paper today about the same issue: "The great PE revolution: Every school child in the country to play competitive sports". Now that might be equally untrue - it certainly sounds optimistic to me, but why oh why does the Echo with monotonous regularity continue to portray itself as politically independent yet give an anti-Government left wing twist to every possible storyline?

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bingbong says...
12:50pm Sat 11 Aug 12

The story is left wing because of what? Because it doesn't support your right wing views? Because it doesn't show your beloved Tory party in a good light? Because it's reporting the facts?
.
Since you claim to be so politically balanced, please tell us which parts of the story are factually incorrect. Have the Tories cut funding for sport in schools? Have the Tories removed the minimum two hour requirement? Did the Tories scrap the School Sports Partnership? Are the Tories now performing u-turn number 136 by realising (in the wake of the Olympics) that school sports are actually important.
.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to claim that Labour were some model party when it came to school sports. But please don't try to constantly dismiss stories as left wing just because they actually show the true colours of the wonderful job this Tory government is doing.
.
Remember, if you say it enough times, it must actually be true (at least that's what the Tories seem to think).....repeat after me "We promise not to cut front line services".

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David Lacey says...
2:43pm Sat 11 Aug 12

Plink plonk(er). Just read a few more papers and get a balanced view then spout. As usual you are up the creek with your lefty rubbish - I am not and never have been a Tory supporter. Vote UKIP, the third party in British politics.
.
By the way (I realise that you've only had two and a half years to spot it) but we don't have a Tory Government. The Deputy PM is a LibDum.
.
End of term report for Plinker - must try harder.

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Mike2012 says...
2:50pm Sat 11 Aug 12

This site is getting more like the BBCNews every week, so left-wing its ridiculous! Sure Jenny Chapman writes these "reports"? You don't need to be a Torie supporter to realise this, whatever happened to good UNBIASED reporting, not left-wing propaganda?

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D D Coy says...
3:50pm Sat 11 Aug 12

The Olympic Legacy is around £10bn debt for infrastructure & sporting facilities which equates to around £150,000,000 to £200,000,000 per medal that has been won regardless of what colour it is (much higher if you take into account funding at schools and charities such as the lottery).

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David Lacey says...
5:26pm Sat 11 Aug 12

We spend the same amount on foreign aid EVERY YEAR. What makes more sense - an Olympic triumph or lining the pockets of despots in Africa etc?

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bingbong says...
5:41pm Sat 11 Aug 12

David Lacey wrote:
Plink plonk(er). Just read a few more papers and get a balanced view then spout. As usual you are up the creek with your lefty rubbish - I am not and never have been a Tory supporter. Vote UKIP, the third party in British politics.
.
By the way (I realise that you've only had two and a half years to spot it) but we don't have a Tory Government. The Deputy PM is a LibDum.
.
End of term report for Plinker - must try harder.
I see we've reverted type with the silly little childish insults and dismissing everyhing and everyone who doesn't agree with your views as "lefty rubbish".
.
I have read a great many articles and newspapers and funnily enough I can't find one that say the Tories haven't cut the School Sport Partnership, or school sports funding in general. If that makes means I'm talking "leftie rubbish" then so must most of the media. Oh, and I'm still waiting for you to point us to all these well balanced articles that you have read that say otherwise.
.
And as for not having a Tory government, don't make me laugh, this is a Tory government in all but name, and that I why I refer to them as such (as if you didn't know).
.

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dawn patrol says...
6:01pm Sat 11 Aug 12

Poor david isnt upsetting people standing up to you, those nasty lefty goons who hide all their money ,and sack honest workers and take money off the poor,-oops sorry thats the wrong lot sorry o and of course you were never a tory you just talk, walk, and think like a tory.

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spragger says...
6:13pm Sat 11 Aug 12

So, lets get this clear, Cameron is 'hammered' by a bunch of leftie teacher union types & Trinity Mirror.
Nothing changes then . .

The NUT & NASUWT are the enemy within putting greed before your kids
and Trinity Mirror is what it is, a voice piece for socialism.

As for a legacy, whilst we give disabled cards to the self inflicted obese. Parents stick their kids in chelsea tractors to run over pedestrians & cyclists on the way to school & shops.

We do not have a chance of improving the nations health

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skipsea says...
6:30pm Sat 11 Aug 12

After the antics of the previous Conservative goverment I was surprised there were still school playing fields to be sold off but it appears there are and yes they are being sold.
And I am NOT left wing.

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D D Coy says...
6:30pm Sat 11 Aug 12

David Lacey wrote:
We spend the same amount on foreign aid EVERY YEAR. What makes more sense - an Olympic triumph or lining the pockets of despots in Africa etc?
Neither makes any sense to me, the budgets in my opinion are way over the top for both David...

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ajtib3 says...
10:03pm Sat 11 Aug 12

D D Coy wrote:
The Olympic Legacy is around £10bn debt for infrastructure & sporting facilities which equates to around £150,000,000 to £200,000,000 per medal that has been won regardless of what colour it is (much higher if you take into account funding at schools and charities such as the lottery).
Not for the first time on the issue of the Olympics D D Coy has focussed on cost without any regard to the benefit.
The Games cost up to £12bn with up to £10bn supported by the taxpayer. The estimate for the return to the economy is up to £16bn.
The employment already created - the construction companies paying more tax on their profits, the suppliers of those companies doing the same - the people kept in jobs paying their tax and not unemployed relying on benefit. The employment created in London during these games and the paralympics following. I could go on.
However, even that is just economics.
The result of the highlighting of cycling as a sport has already led to a massive increase in young people joining cycling clubs. The same will be true for many other sports.
The link between children involved in sport and educational performance is already understood. But fit and healthy children becoming fit and healthy adults means less people relying on the NHS. How is that benefit in the future measured in cost terms now?
Because these games have been so successful for Team GB the impact on the public has been so much greater and the long-term benefit - not just in financial terms-is likely to be that much greater also.

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John Justice says...
10:45pm Sat 11 Aug 12

My youngest daughter went to Barrington school in Bishop Auckland. There is a 4 bedroom house standing where her classroom once stood. I dont know which government was responsible for the legislation that brought this about, (I do actually) but whatever government is in "power" (actually in "service" to the public) has the power to change such abberations and turn the clock back to give school children the opportunity to experience regular sport on a weekly basis. The problem is that the problem is now too complex with Teachers unions et al and government itself being involved which results in all sorts of financial complexities and definitions being involved. The good hidden news is that there are many local sports clubs who have fantastic adult volunteer support to teach, coach and support young people in the community either for free or for a minimal cost. Parents need to get more involved, become coaches in their childs sport, give some of their time and if possible, limited finances because whatever your political thoughts government cannot be solely responsible for the sporting development of our children. What a frightening thought that is.

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doonhamer says...
11:28pm Sat 11 Aug 12

Forget the politics, young children should have the time and space allotted each day to have ample physical exercise and learn discipline and co-ordination. Cameron is wrong however to think this is connected in anyway to a lasting legacy about the Olympics. Any sensible person will understand that the games held in Munich in 1936 brought forth the most elite and disciplined group of children ever, - The Hitler Youth, a brilliant and efficient supply line for the elite Waffen SS in years to come. Rock on Cameron, there's logic in your ideas somewhere.

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CTRILEY says...
9:57am Sun 12 Aug 12

David Lacey wrote:
We spend the same amount on foreign aid EVERY YEAR. What makes more sense - an Olympic triumph or lining the pockets of despots in Africa etc?
What makes more sense would have been to use that money to invest in Britian to create jobs; keep care homes open; provide British children with a decent education; train doctors, nurses, teachers and others who unlike Olympics atheletes actually serve a useful purpose within society.

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David Lacey says...
10:09am Sun 12 Aug 12

Terrific comment atjib. The benefits will resonate down the years to Rio in 2016. And those whose focus cannot stretch beyond the cost may care to read this. They may then change their minds.
.
http://www.telegraph
.co.uk/finance/londo
n-olympics-business/
9467994/London-Olymp
ics-2012-The-300m-pl
an-to-transform-Olym
pic-Park.html
.

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David Lacey says...
10:09am Sun 12 Aug 12

Terrific comment atjib. The benefits will resonate down the years to Rio in 2016. And those whose focus cannot stretch beyond the cost may care to read this. They may then change their minds.
.
http://www.telegraph
.co.uk/finance/londo
n-olympics-business/
9467994/London-Olymp
ics-2012-The-300m-pl
an-to-transform-Olym
pic-Park.html
.

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David Lacey says...
10:27am Sun 12 Aug 12

Or this:
.
http://www.dailymail
.co.uk/news/article-
2187205/A-visitor-de
stination-like-How-O
lympic-Park-transfor
med-following-specta
cular-London-Games.h
tml
.
Our speciality moaner Victor J Connor may just bring himself to offer a retraction of his earlier comments. Probably not!!

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johnny_p says...
1:32pm Sun 12 Aug 12

Cameron "under fire", "slammed" and "engulfed in furious row". Really?

This is why I cancelled my subscription to the Northern Echo; I want to read more balanced, unbiased articles than this. There was absolutely nothing written to counter these "claims" other than what David Cameron reportedly said himself.

Come on Northern Echo-you can do better than this.

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D D Coy says...
3:34pm Sun 12 Aug 12

ajtib3 wrote:
D D Coy wrote:
The Olympic Legacy is around £10bn debt for infrastructure & sporting facilities which equates to around £150,000,000 to £200,000,000 per medal that has been won regardless of what colour it is (much higher if you take into account funding at schools and charities such as the lottery).
Not for the first time on the issue of the Olympics D D Coy has focussed on cost without any regard to the benefit.
The Games cost up to £12bn with up to £10bn supported by the taxpayer. The estimate for the return to the economy is up to £16bn.
The employment already created - the construction companies paying more tax on their profits, the suppliers of those companies doing the same - the people kept in jobs paying their tax and not unemployed relying on benefit. The employment created in London during these games and the paralympics following. I could go on.
However, even that is just economics.
The result of the highlighting of cycling as a sport has already led to a massive increase in young people joining cycling clubs. The same will be true for many other sports.
The link between children involved in sport and educational performance is already understood. But fit and healthy children becoming fit and healthy adults means less people relying on the NHS. How is that benefit in the future measured in cost terms now?
Because these games have been so successful for Team GB the impact on the public has been so much greater and the long-term benefit - not just in financial terms-is likely to be that much greater also.
Back to reality for everyone tomorrow!

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David Lacey says...
3:47pm Sun 12 Aug 12

Hello Johnny - you are not alone. I had bought my Echo every day for 50 years but stopped doing so a year ago. Now I just infect this website with my ridiculous comments. The paper became a joke when it started to employ people with no affinity to the Region, from the left and who live elsewhere. That utter, complete twerp Red Rob Merrick is an example. Peter the Editor needs to get a grip on things before the inevitable happens. And to ajtib - as a retired person Monday no longer has any significance to me - thank goodness!

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CTRILEY says...
5:19pm Sun 12 Aug 12

D D Coy, yes it may get people involved in sports but at the same time recreation and sports centres are closing. Two schools within Spennymoor have closed and the fields destined to become a housing estate. I've seen children using a bus shelters as a goal post because
the school field round the corner is a fortress of steel and every where else has signs saying "no ball games".

They may be many positives coming from the Olympics, but they'll come to nothing if there's insufficient effort made in schools and nothing to support them at the grass roots level.

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loonyleft says...
5:26pm Sun 12 Aug 12

The northern echo is a joke just like ukip.

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jewitt says...
7:02pm Sun 12 Aug 12

the concept of the Olympic legacy is a total fabrication. An expensive party at a time when we need monies invested in things that matter to society. Once again an example of the elite subsidising the elite. The vast majority of medal winners at the Olympics attended private school as well. Frankly, the focus on the Olympics whilst the economy is in meltdown serves to show what a myopic party the Tories really are. Back to reality tomorrow everybody.

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ajtib3 says...
7:40pm Sun 12 Aug 12

David Lacey wrote:
Hello Johnny - you are not alone. I had bought my Echo every day for 50 years but stopped doing so a year ago. Now I just infect this website with my ridiculous comments. The paper became a joke when it started to employ people with no affinity to the Region, from the left and who live elsewhere. That utter, complete twerp Red Rob Merrick is an example. Peter the Editor needs to get a grip on things before the inevitable happens. And to ajtib - as a retired person Monday no longer has any significance to me - thank goodness!
Nor me David - but that was not my comment you read if you check.

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D D Coy says...
7:43pm Sun 12 Aug 12

CTRILEY wrote:
D D Coy, yes it may get people involved in sports but at the same time recreation and sports centres are closing. Two schools within Spennymoor have closed and the fields destined to become a housing estate. I've seen children using a bus shelters as a goal post because
the school field round the corner is a fortress of steel and every where else has signs saying "no ball games".

They may be many positives coming from the Olympics, but they'll come to nothing if there's insufficient effort made in schools and nothing to support them at the grass roots level.
The nation has experienced a buzz similar to a Royal Wedding or the Queens Jubilee, the economic reality has already kicked in, London traders & hotels are complaining at a lack of the usual tourist trade down over 50% due to the Olympics (they should have enjoyed the rest the mugs will be back soon to pay £4 for a 99). London 2012 TAT has already been discounted in supermarkets for a fortnight £10 official Olympic programs still reside on news-agents shelves T-Shirts etc. coming to Poundland & Home Bargains later this week.!

As we wait for the next quarters trade figures & hear the excuses coming out, GDP is down because of the Olympics, unemployment rises, inflation up etc. etc. The Olympic Stadium destined to become a white elephant, instead of the new National Athletics Stadium that could be lottery funded.

Many adjoining areas to the Olympic Park have seen very little increase in trade, local traders that applied for small Olympic contracts were ignored even though they have blue chip clients & references. Local Sports facilities / clubs haven't even been visited by Olympic officials let alone received any cash injection for their respective sports.

The families of Olympic Medal prospects for London / Rio have to fork out for all air flights to international tournaments, 'fair enough' I say & families understand this but unfair when they are forced to pay higher air-fares because Team GB travel as a group and they don't do economy.

I understand what is happening in Spennymoor & that the school playing fields will probably be sold off DCC, I have mentioned this myself in other posts. the under-utilised Daisy field is another example a dog walkers paradise tetanus recommended!

Regarding funding in schools, a smart government will argue that 60+ medals including 29 golds proves that what they are doing in schools is correct or why change the formula too much and any cash will be wasted by local authorities therefore we should continue with the current formula which includes using lottery funding for Team GB.

I have enjoyed watching the Olympics but not beach volleyball ;-) the medal winners have done us proud, I wanted to win Korea, Russia, Germany & France how patriotic is that?

But in the big picture of things the Olympics haven't changed my life & I will have moved on by tomorrow, as will the majority of the nation.

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loonyleft says...
8:18pm Sun 12 Aug 12

What a happy little soul you are d.d. coy, ever thought of getting treatment for youre depression.

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David Lacey says...
8:20pm Sun 12 Aug 12

Profuse apologies Ajtib - I get confused these days - as you will enthusiastically verify. Can't follow all this darn copying and pasting stuff.

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John Justice says...
10:50pm Sun 12 Aug 12

First let me say that I am apolitical, I do not support any major political party. Who can given the dogs dinner that successive governments have served up over the past decades. Correct me if I am wrong but was it not New Labour political dogma that discouraged winning and as a result, competitive sport in schools?. This opened the door to the selling off of many schools and their playing fields. Today, David Cameron was very emphatic. He has committed the government to"Elite Sport" supporting "Team GB" to the tune of £125 million pounds per year to the RIO Olympics. The commitment to children and sport is lost in the "Politic Speak" that is beginning to appear along with the blame game of targets and "Ticky Box" mentality that pervades politics and business. Meanwhile children and young people continue to suffer and parents either deny their children sporting opportunities through lack of finances or pay up front and suffer financial hardships as a result My daughter and her partner are paying nearly one hundred pounds a month to enable my grandson to participate in two sports a week. Money they can ill afford and which pushes them into debt. Shortly my grandson will not be going to his sport lessons through no fault of his own. His mum and dad need to pay the mortgage and put food on the table.

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tomtopper says...
11:49pm Sun 12 Aug 12

Well, we're all whingers on here at some point or other, but lets all spare a moment and look forward to seeing the people who never whinge and just get on with it...The REAL athletes.. The Paralympians..

Blue badge & disability cheats ..be ashamed

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Oaky says...
2:16am Mon 13 Aug 12

The way I see it, when schoolchildren compete against each other the less able ones lose motivation and in a video game culture like we have today physical exercise (whether Indian Dance or Sport) is important. More emphasis should be made to achieving personal bests.

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Normski1960 says...
9:18am Mon 13 Aug 12

hahaha you have to laugh...I have never seen so much vitriolic twaddle posted for ages....
..now if anybody cares to check the public records office..192 school playing fields were sold off during labours term in office (83 because the school closed) which is terrible..however between 1979-1997 the governments in power sold off 20,000 playing fields!!!! once gone you can't get them back...
..and as for any pillock that justifies their argument by quoting the Daily Mail, you need to get some exercise...

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Juliethedancer says...
9:48am Mon 13 Aug 12

Had Mr Cameron seen a few top Bharatanatyam dancers such as Harinie Jeevitha perform items full of acrobatic karanas - many of which are found in rhythmic gymnastics - he would have not said what he did.

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Normski1960 says...
12:16pm Mon 13 Aug 12

David Cameron IS NOT supporting anythng to the tune of.....we the people are...he has done a U turn by letting sports KEEP the money they were already getting (instigated by Labour) which he had said he was WITHDRAWING.......

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David Lacey says...
1:56pm Mon 13 Aug 12

When did he say he was withdrawing it? I missed that one. Please advise and post a web link.

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Homshaw1 says...
5:13pm Mon 13 Aug 12

There is a big problem to be tackled in that there are too many unfit, overweight people of all ages. It's a timebomb.

I don't know if paying hugh sums for Olympics and to train elite athletes is the way forward. Every year after wimbledon the tennis courts are full. Two weeks later no one uses them, So I suspect with a few exceptions the effects may be short lived.

There are lots of parks and schools with facilities that are underused. I rather suspect it just needs a relatively small amount of money for someone to organise activities and the results could be worthwhile

Politicans don't help. Sell off playing fields, encourage sport in schools, stop free swimming for pensioners, organise and finance the Olympics, increase entry fees to sports centre.

A totally mixed message.

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Homshaw1 says...
5:22pm Mon 13 Aug 12

tomtopper wrote:
Well, we're all whingers on here at some point or other, but lets all spare a moment and look forward to seeing the people who never whinge and just get on with it...The REAL athletes.. The Paralympians.. Blue badge & disability cheats ..be ashamed
Good point

Last year they were struggling for a female contender for Sportsperson of the Year.

For a real sports person how can you beat Ellie Simmonds.

Gold medals, great personality.

Should have been in contention and I would have voted for here

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D D Coy says...
6:48pm Mon 13 Aug 12

Homshaw BBC Sports Personality of the year will be so unfair. So many winners & so many losers as one person will be selected for the honour.

'The BBC Sports Personality of the year' for me is between Bradley Wiggins (as over the past year I have become born again cyclist & Mo Farrah whose 10000 meters had me yelling at the television for the only time during London 2012,

The Royal Mint is certainly going to be busy from new years day with possibly the largest number of awards to the sporting sector ever.!

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the-big-yin says...
11:01am Tue 14 Aug 12

ALAS WE WILL STILL BE IN THE SH.T...WHEN THESE OLYMPICS ARE FINISHED....
WHAT OUR SUPER PRIME MINISTER ( TAKING THE P.SS THERE ) NEEDS TO DO IS STOP GIVING BILLIONS IN AID TO FOREIGN COUNTRIES AND KEEP IT IN THIS COUNTRY...SIMPLE WAY TO GET THIS COUNTRY BACK ON ITS FEET...CUT THE WASTE AND TAX THE BANKS AS MUCH AS IT TAKES TO GET THEM TO STOP ALL THE CORRUPTION...

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David Lacey says...
12:21pm Tue 14 Aug 12

Still waiting Normski. perhaps you were just making it up. Or lying.

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NO EINSTEIN says...
9:37pm Fri 17 Aug 12

David Lacey wrote:
Still waiting Normski. perhaps you were just making it up. Or lying.
Dave lacey,
Please will you comment on the "Family members responsible for half of all child abuse, study finds" headline people respect your views,

Chris

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