Would you like your pupils to have greater persistence? Would your parents like their children to learn determination at school? These are uncontroversial questions.

Persistence (or "Grit" as American psychologist Angela Lee Duckworth calls it) is a predictor of future high achievement. More reliable as such than either IQ or early success. Pupils demonstrating this quality are more likely to be successful - whatever their field of endeavour. If it's that important, you might expect schools to spend a considerable amount of time and resources working out how best to develop it. Building determination is certainly an...

As the role of Director of Sport in all independent schools evolves, it assumes ever greater dimensions of dealing with parents. This is rarely approached as a welcome part of the job. Modern parents like to keep in touch with their children’s school, and can be quick with an opinion.

Why does sport suffer this intrusiveness at least as much - if not more – than any other subject? Principally, because it is such an emotional aspect of school life, also because it is exclusive: there are only 11 shirts in the bag. Someone gets to wear one, someone...

Every week, we wish the same, “Hope you have a great game.” Confirmation of it is the most positive post mortem in response to the ubiquitous question, “How did you get on?”

Great games live long in the memory. High emotion etches events more firmly, and facilitates recall. Everyone who has ever played games can clearly remember the fleeting moments of magic that elevate the spirit and define individuals. People who can’t remember the names they met last week can clearly recall sporting moments from twenty years ago. Happily, these occasions are not ability dependent. There are as many...