Earlier this year, after being contacted by the press who were pursuing it as a big story, I expressed some concern that Milwards School in Harlow was moving away from competitive school sports.  I felt this was a wrong move. Competition can be a healthy factor in any child’s upbringing, it can be character building and whether its through individual or team sports I believe competition has a role to play in the life of any school.

Since then of course I’ve found the story I was presented with by the press was not quite as it seemed. After the issue was covered by the local media I was approached by one of the school governors who asked me to visit the school. So I went in to Milwards recently to meet with the headteacher and learn more about what the school is actually doing on the sports front.

I still think competitive sports is important in any school. But 40% of children at Milwards school have special needs in some form. The nature of those special needs varies considerably from pupil to pupil – each one is different and each one will cope with school sports in a different way. But what the school is rightly trying to do through its sporting provision is ensure that each one is included in this important part of school life.

Milwards still does have competitive sporting activities – contrary to what I was led to believe by the press! But it has reduced the amount of competitive activity to reflect the needs of its pupils. I was pleased that I’d visited the school to learn more and to remind myself of one of the first rules of politics – don’t always believe what you’re told by the press!