ACCORDING to the chief inspector of schools, Sir Michael Wilshaw, there is a lack of competitive sport in state schools and as a result private schools, which only account for seven per cent of pupils, produce the bulk of successful international sportsmen and women (Echo, June 20).

However, if this inspector bothered to more carefully inspect the gold medals table for the London Olympic Games, a rather different picture would emerge.

Yes, the majority of medals were won by privately educated men and women. But the events that they won are hugely expensive to pursue and some might not even be considered sports. Rowing, canoeing, sailing and show jumping are simply unaffordable sports for state schools.

Moreover, shooting can barely be described as a sport, and making a horse dance in dressage definitely isn’t.

Furthermore, the most success enjoyed by ex-private school pupils was in the cycling velodrome.

Cycling is definitely an excellent outdoor pastime, but pedalling around in circles in a tiny handful of indoor velodromes is both elitist and not very popular.

In those Olympic sports which are cheaper to undertake and at the same time genuinely popular, state schools did rather well. Gold medals were won by ex-state school athletes in Taekwando, boxing and tennis.

Moreover, in athletics – ie the Olympic sport that really matters – the only gold medals were won by Greg Rutherford, Mo Farrow and Jessica Ennis. All three were educated at state schools.

John Gilmore, National Union of Teachers Secretary, Bishop Auckland.