Sport and study: Finding the happy medium

It’s everywhere you look at the moment. Schools basketball. Schools hockey. Senior Cup rugby. Colleges hurling, colleges football.

Secondary-school sport gets more and more competitive and professional every year, with teams investing in high-end preparation and facilities, but are we in danger of losing sight of the bottom line — that these are kids facing significant exams, not budding sports superstars?

Clive Byrne, director of the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals, offers some context.