Sports help us learn how to win... and lose

Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School sixthformer REBECCA BURTON discusses how competition weaves a thread through school life

LAST week at QEGS Sixth Form, a Year 12 versus Year 13 rugby match was held to raise money for charity and for the Year 13 prom.

It was a very successful fundraiser, with many students coming to participate and spectate.

The popularity of the event was certainly rooted in competitiveness, as students in both year groups were eager to find out who would win.

Seeing this got me thinking about the role which competition plays in education, at QEGS and beyond, and how this affects students.

Competition can unquestionably be a useful tool for schools, as it can be a healthy motivator which galvanises students to work harder.

It also teaches valuable life lessons, particularly in sports.

Participating in house matches and other events like Sports Day at QEGS helps students to learn how to be a good loser, and how to be a good winner too.

The wider world is often competitive, and some healthy competition in school helps to prepare students for this.

However, academically, a sense of competition can do more harm than good.

While competing with others in a classroom environment can be a useful motivator, it often causes students to focus more on comparing themselves to others than achieving their best.

Arguably, the way in which exams are set up encourages competition, as a certain number of students are allocated each grade each year.

In order to achieve a top grade in a GCSE or A level exam, what matters most is that you perform better than other students, not that you are objectively successful.

Despite teachers working hard to discourage this, an atmosphere of competitiveness can easily grow out of this, in which students fixate on grades and performing better than those around them.

I know how easy it is to get sucked into this mentality, as I have experienced it myself.

During my GCSE years, there were periods where I would be disappointed in my exam results if I didn’t perform better than my classmates, even if I still did well in my own right.

I found that it was much more difficult to focus on achieving my own goals academically when I was constantly comparing myself to others.

Now that I have moved on to Sixth Form, I have found that there is much less competition within the classroom.

As everyone studies different subjects and has completely different goals in mind for when they leave school, it is much harder to compete with others or measure your success by how well others are doing.

Having experienced this, I have found that it is a much healthier mindset to have, and I would advise younger students to avoid falling into the trap of comparing themselves to others.

The Sixth Form rugby match last week was an example of competition done right, as students’ competitive spirit was harnessed to create a successful fundraising event.

However, overcompetitiveness in a school environment can definitely also be damaging for students.

Competing with others in a class can be a useful motivator, but it can reduce a focus on achieving their best