PRIMARY SCHOOL SPORT

Press, Volume LXXX, Issue 24237, 20 April 1944, Page 6

PRIMARY SCHOOL SPORT

CANTERBURY COUNCIL’S ATTITUDE WORK OF ASSOCIATION A statement that fhe Canterbury Council of Amateur Sport had never had any intention of interfering with the work of the Canterbury Primary Schools’ Sports Association was made by the president of the council (Mr E. V. Phillips) last evening, at a conference with delegates from the association. Mr Phillips said that the council was interested in children leaving the schools and how and where it could assist them in playing some sport. The council decided at its annual meeting to invite representatives of the association to a conference to discuss sport in the schools. During the conference sortie delegates from the association claimed that there was a feeling of hostility towards it, and reference was made also to differences with the council concerning the introduction of sports coaches into primary schools, and the distribution of the council’s journal in the schools without the association being consulted. The president of the association (Mr C. W. Allard) said that the association thought it was fully representative of the teachers of Christchurch, and was quite capable of running its own affairs. Very often outside associations which had come in to lend a hand had been a hindrance rather than a help. The introduction of outside coaches had been tried on various occasions, and had never been a success. The association’s sole aim was to get as many children as possible playing games. . ~ . Mr Allard said that the problem at present was to find some means of dealing with children who were leaving school and not flaying games. They were a loss to sport, and some method should be found to get games for all of them. Mr Phillips said that the council had no connexion with the primary or secondary schools, and realised _ that the sports there were under the jurisdiction of the masters. The council did not wish to interfere. One cause of disagreement was the question of paid coaches coming to the schools. All that had been done was to ask if coaches would be accepted if they came to the primary schools. The only other disagreement was on the method of putting out the council’s journal. If the council had done wrong in this respect, he would freely, apologise on its behalf.