Olympic Objectives and the Eleven Plus

I thought that it was important to set our Olympic Objectives for 2012.

1. We need to support local athletes with the potential to perform at 2012. Now this is going to be a bit difficult for most of out eleven plus children this year. There is not a long history of youngsters who have done well in Olympic events – but there are some. Swimmers and gymnasts spring to mind. I can not recall any weightlifters or pole vaulters. Having written that I am sure I will be corrected.

2. We need to make sure that our eleven plus children have access to as many sports as possible. After all if we can develop mass participation then this could serve as a catalyst for some stars to emerge. Some parents will find it difficult to fund developing a horse for the Olympics – but could perhaps manage a table tennis bat.

3. We need our children to have the best possible athletic coaches inside and outside of school. This should be a major priority. After all if there is talent we want to be able to develop it as best we can.

4. When we won the Olympic Games our children were given a great opportunity to be able to become more active. Perhaps more members of the family will become involved in a regular sport or leisure activity.

So how will this affect our children?

Some will be writing their GCSE examinations by 2012. Other may already have passed a few GCSE examinations. The Olympics will give the children a great opportunity to see that to reach the top you need to work very hard.

For those few short weeks the children will be drawn into a different world. They will see athletes who have been given every opportunity to do well with support from governments and huge fund raising activities. They will also see athletes who have had to most of the work on their own – with little funding. Of course there will be stories of athletes winning medals from small communities and impoverished facilities. Good luck to them too!

Just as we wish the athletes the best possible coaches we wish for our children to have the best possible teachers and schools. I relish the stories of children who pass the eleven plus when only four out of sixty children are successful. This is real triumph over adversity. We hope too that all our children have focused and effective eleven plus preparation.

We know too that at times the whole family will be united in anticipation and excitement as certain events take place. There will be a few seconds when the bonds of the family will be strong and binding. This must be very similar to same bonds that families feel when they hear the results of successful eleven plus examination. Good luck to all concerned.