SPORT plays an important role in schools and always should, but I wonder what we understand by sporting success in schools and can we really justify the amount of time spent on sport in schools? Do we do too much of it or too little of it nowadays? Why do it at all?

When I was at school, it was cross country, gymnastics and rugby during the winter season and nothing but cricket during the summer.

There was a very narrow focus compared to the broad offering in schools these days and there was a real emphasis on winning.

But what is our approach to "winning" and is it valid if it actually depends more on another team’s weakness?

How do we resolve the tensions and differing viewpoints between performance and participation; choice and compulsion; focus and variety; team games and health-promoting activity?

Further, how would we rank these in order of priority: pupil-enjoyment, player-development, health benefits and school reputation?

Sport and physical exercise clearly have an important part to play in the life at schools especially if we subscribe to the viewpoint that school is about education and preparing young people for life. We should aspire to excellence in sport just as in every other activity in school — but we should not create a win-at-all-costs culture.

Such a culture has lost the meaning of education. We teach our pupils to win and lose with dignity, and the way in which pupils, staff and parents respond to defeat is as important as how we celebrate victory.

Colonel Tim Collins famously told his troops on the eve of battle in 2003, "if you are ferocious in battle remember to be magnanimous in victory".

I would like to think that he developed such an approach through participation in sport which almost certainly began in school.

And this example is almost certainly replicated in the business world where winning tenders and contracts or excellent end of financial year results should be celebrated with the knowledge that this could easily go the other way and remember that pride comes before a fall.

You see there is so much more to education than simply lessons and tests.

We want all young people to display positive attitudes towards physical activity and to enjoy healthy participation with others.

The greatest testimony to the success of any programme is perhaps the continuation-rate after school.

Sport may not be for everyone in their future lives, but a healthy lifestyle is — physical activity should be challenging, and may be punishing at times, but it should also be fun!