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38
(3)0rganised
games.
(4) School
sports.
Games,
athletics and
swimming
out of school
hours.
the matter officially to the notice of those concerned with a view to ending a state of affairs
the undesirability of which should be obvious to all.
It is disappointing to note that new baths are still being erected upon the old pattern with
the dressing boxes in such a position as to necessitate entrance to them being made from the sides
of the baths ; this planning makes it impossible to have the edges of the baths kept really clean.
During the first years of the reorganisation of physical education the energies of the organising
staff were of necessity directed towards the building up of physical training lessons, and having
achieved some measure of success in this direction, it has been possible during the last two years
to give more time to the problem of organised games. It was clear at the outset that too great
reliance was placed in the games of football, cricket and netball and that these games were nearly
always played on the full practice game principle. It was a rare occurrence to find the various
phases of the games being taught (for instance, a game of cricket was always played instead of
giving batting, bowling, catching and fielding practices), whilst other excellent team games such
as rounders, stoolball and Rugby touch were seldom taught.
The technical problem, therefore, which had to be faced was of a two-fold nature:—
(1) To strengthen the traditional games by building up the various phases of those
games ;
(2) To introduce other types of team games.
With this end in view a series of half-time courses have been held, devoted entirely to the teaching
and organisation of games, swimming and athletics. Four such courses have been held for the
men teachers and one for the women teachers, attended by 139 men and 36 women respectively.
This wider point of view with regard to the playing of games will necessitate a different
allocation of pitches in the parks, a wider range of markings and the provision of some additional
equipment to be stored at the parks. The chief officer, parks department, has been extremely
helpful not only in providing grounds on which courses could be held, but also in extending the
existing facilities for organised games in those parks which have already been covered by games
courses. Only the fringe of the problem has so far been touched, and much work lies ahead before
the standard of efficiency of the organised games reaches that of the physical training lesson.
In June of this year the first playing field provided with class-rooms was ready for use. The
schools commenced to use the ground on 8th June, and the new venture has started with every
prospect of success. Each school has been visited since the opening of the ground and special
help has been given to each teacher. Four additional playing fields have been acquired and these
will come into use in the near future, whilst it is hoped that ultimately a ring of such fields will
be formed around London.
It is of interest to be able to record that a steady increase has taken place during recent years
in the number of schools holding their own sports meetings. During the past season over 470
closures have been granted for this purpose. In the majority of cases these events are well organised
and form a valuable feature of the life of the schools. There is a noticeable improvement
in the arrangement of many of the programmes and events more suitable to children of elementary
school age are being included. Events of too strenuous a nature are gradually being eliminated,
and the choice of the victor ludorum is happily disappearing. Such a system tends to deprive
the meetings of much of their interest, as the indifferent performer has no chance, whilst the children
competing for the supposed honour take part in more events than their physique can stand.
It is a matter for regret that in a report of this nature the admirable work done outside
school hours cannot be referred to in any great detail. It should be stressed again that these
activities are in the main conducted by a limited number of teachers who, week after week, year
after year, give up their own time to this valuable work. The basic work commences in the school,
from there spreads to the district associations and reaches its culminating point in the all-London
associations. The rapid development of school sports and swimming meetings is all to the good.
Formerly the practice was for district associations to organise big meetings catering for large
entries from the schools. Whilst such events were admirable illustrations of good organisation,
they were apt to become somewhat impersonal and the tendency now is for schools to run their
own events in which all the children can take part and for the selected children only to pass on to
the district and London events.
Brief details follow of the work of the various London associations.
The London Schools' Athletic Association now has 25 district associations affiliated, of which
20 entered teams for the annual championship meeting. London was very successful in the
English schools' championship, winning both the boys' and girls' events. The question of the
physical strain imposed on children taking part in highly competitive athletics is one which
causes concern to many; it is, therefore, of interest to note that, one of the rules of the London
Schools' Athletic Association lays down that no boy or girl may compete in more than one event
other than a relay race. This sensible rule indicates that the officers are alive to the possible
dangers which might arise.
The reorganisation of schools at present proceeding has had its effect on the work of the
London Schools' Amateur Boxing Association. In the first place it has centralised boys over
eleven years into relatively few schools in each district, thus severely limiting the potential
centres of activity. In the past the failure of one school to participate could not check progress
because only a small percentage of eligible boys were affected. Such a defection now would affect
a large percentage of eligible boys and the Association is more than ever dependent on the goodwill