THE impact of school sport in East Lancashire has been questioned by a leading education expert before an international conference.

Andreas Schleicher, director for education and skills at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), has said that simply playing sport in schools may not be the best way to instil virtues like character and resilience in pupils.

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He said that children gain these vital social skills by learning in environments that value responsibility, discipline and encourage them to work together.

Speaking ahead of the Global Education and Skills Forum in Dubai that was held last weekend, Mr Schleicher said there are many ways to teach character as part of everyday schooling.

His comments come amid growing calls for UK schoolchildren to be taught the softer skills they will need later in life – such as leadership and teamwork.

However, Xavier Bowers, head teacher at Mount Carmel RC High School in Accrington, has said that PE holds a "unique place" in the curriculum.

The former PE teacher said: “I believe in healthy body, healthy mind, and PE is a very important part of the school week.

“There is no better way in school to instil virtues like character and resilience than through PE.

“At Mount Carmel, I have made sure that we have offered two hours of PE a week, but recently that has had to reduce because of the huge pressure on the curriculum and the drive towards English, maths and science.”

Education secretary Nicky Morgan has previously suggested that learning traits like perseverance and confidence are “equally important” to teenagers as gaining good exam results.

But Mr Schleicher said: “I don’t see any reason why rugby would be a better way of teaching character than mathematics.

“I think teaching character has a lot to do with how we behave, what behaviour we value."

“There are a lot of things that actually strengthen character more. I don’t think it’s an issue of an additional school subject. It’s a lot more about how we teach.”