20 August 2004
Too many schools are failing to spot youngsters who have the potential to achieve sporting success, school inspectors said this week.
An Ofsted evaluation of the physical education provision for pupils who excel at sport found that the criteria are often inferior to those used to identify academically gifted but under-achieving pupils.
The inspectorate called on the Department for Education and Skills and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to develop clearer criteria.
Ofsted's August 17 report was timed to coincide with the opening week of the Olympic Games. With a disappointing tally of just five medals by August 18, the lottery-funded Team GB has come under fire.
Chief schools' inspector David Bell said the games highlighted the need to give pupils every opportunity to excel. 'These talented pupils could well be our sporting stars of the future. PE and school sport can help give them the knowledge, understanding and skills they need when they make the choice of playing sport either recreationally or professionally,' he said.
'Schools are committed to realising this goal through the government's gifted and talented programme and this report finds some pupils are benefiting from this already.'
The gifted and talented programme for physical education was launched in September 2003 in colleges and schools specialising in sports. It aims to improve the quality of sport teaching as well as the aspirations and achievements of pupils.
Ofsted concluded that the programme is at different stages of implementation and it was too soon to evaluate its overall impact on pupil performance.
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