Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Harton school
New Sports Hall
I read some excellent news in tonight's Shields Gazette about the opening of a new four court sports hall at my old school Harton Technology College (it was formerly South Shields Grammar and Technical School for Boys, then Harton Comprehensive School.) My old pal Mike Todd has an excellent piece on his site about the project, which is a month late in opening.
This new facility has been a long time coming, but help from the Big Lottery Fund, the school, and the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund has enabled the building to be completed. Along with the four court sport hall is also a fitness suite which will be available for public and community use at weekends and out of school hours. It's no surprise that the head teacher, Ken Gibson, is delighted, he has worked at the school for over twenty years and was probably getting fed up with the talk of a new facility.
It's great having these facilities and the equipment to go with them, however, any research of local newpapers rteveals that for competitive sports, young boys and girls are looking outside of school. Football teams, for example, appear to be organised and run by private individuals with a little sponsorship from local businesses, leagues are organised outside of school too. Rugby tends to be offered at the South Shields and Westoe Club, and youngsters interested in athletics drift off to the South Shields Harriers.
When I was a schoolboy there were many schoolboy leagues for soccer, rugby, hockey, cricket, etc. These league systems appear to be no longer in place. My son, who is only eight, does not get any periods of physical recreational activity at school, his school's football team is organised by a single teacher as an out of school activity, for those who wish to participate. It must be difficult for him to pick a decent team, because the whole school is not producing the mass of sporting youngsters that I witnessed in the sixties and seventies.
The old league systems produced a competitive spirit and a team building mentality, where children were happy to work together and share in achievements, very valuable qualities required in the real world of work that awaits them after higher education.
So, although this new sports hall at Harton is very welcome, it is hoped that a reawakening of competitive sports will ensue in the near future.
Cabinet Minister and South Shields MP David Miliband will open the facility on Friday assisted by members of the Newcastle Falcons rugby team, and former England foward Peter Beardsley.
Cllr. Jimmy Foreman - who was not pictured in tonight's Gazette - said
"These fantastic new facilities should make a huge difference".
That's right Jim, we can see!
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