Learn from house system

YOUnG people need to be kept occupied in enjoyable pursuits to stop them turning to criminal activities. Schools should bring back houses, so every student could be allocated to one.

each house has one day when its students are expected to attend a sports session after school. Football, basketball, hockey and athletics are some of those I remember from my school days.

each house trains its students for an annual sports day, when they compete against each other, with the winning house getting the honours.

Students who are not interested in sport should be able to enjoy other school clubs, including music, dance and cookery. Who knows, they might aspire to excel in one of the TV programmes we are now drowning in.

Those from one area could then compete with schools from another to find the best in the country in whatever subject they do well in.

This would give young people the goal of working towards something which immerses them completely in their local communities and significantly decreases, if not stops, criminal activities.

MeL dAWSon, Banbury, oxon.