In the first of a series of pre-half-term talks at Monmouth Montessori and Home Ed Partners, parents current and past, and neighbours and friends enjoyed a debate about Sport in Schools.

The evening was well-attended, open to all and was accompanied by delicious food donated by one of the grandfathers. The Montessori children treated everyone to a fantastic Street Dance, displaying a taste of the Performing Arts programme that is key to the expressive ethos of the school.

We all agreed with Eddie’s belief that sport should be enjoyable.

“Young people should not be forced to take part in team games,” he said, “however rugby is magic if you like to get stuck into a team in a ‘one for all’ feel.”  He told us he thinks it is a mistake for parents to try to make their child specialise too young, saying that people should learn a range of skills across a variety of sports until about the age of 16 and then specialise in the one they love best.

However Eddie feels that sport should be reclaimed into the school setting where coaches can control the crowd enthusiasm. “Unfortunately parents on the touchline can behave very badly, perhaps setting an unfortunate example,” he said, “whereas a school with a strong ethos like here at the Montessori steers teams into healthy competition with inclusion and an honouring of all achievement.”

“Children have as much to learn by losing as they do by winning,” he said.

“A vitally important thing for everyone is to take regular exercise and sport is nearly always the best way to get it in a fun way,” he said.

The next pre-half-term talk, on Thursday 11th February, is on the subject of: ‘should children learn to sew?’ The speaker, Caroline Thorpe, is a period costume cutter and maker, producing historical and contemporary garments for film (Mission Impossible, Anna Karenina, Pirates of the Caribbean), TV (Dr Who, Merlin), opera and theatre.