Whats the status on P.E. in schools?

pollypenny

This is a very timely thread with the recent clamour for more PE in school to 'build on our Olympic success'.

To have more competitive sport in school will probably harm the real reason for PE, which is to encourage health and fitness. There's nothing worse and more discouraging than being picked last, or even third to last for a team.

PE lessons should enocourage exercise in which ever way suits particular pupils. Not easy, I know, a badminton court can hold 4 max, whereas a hockey field takes 22.

Janepig

pollypenny wrote: »

This is a very timely thread with the recent clamour for more PE in school to 'build on our Olympic success'.

To have more competitive sport in school will probably harm the real reason for PE, which is to encourage health and fitness. There's nothing worse and more discouraging than being picked last, or even third to last for a team.

PE lessons should enocourage exercise in which ever way suits particular pupils. Not easy, I know, a badminton court can hold 4 max, whereas a hockey field takes 22.

It's a difficult one though - in some ways competitive sport can be more encouraging, but then it can also put off the kids who don't come first. DD/DS's primary school have competitive sports days. Well sort of. In the infants they run races and it's obvious who has come first, second or third because they get to go up to the headmaster and say their names over the microphone (oh the headmaster LOVES the microphone on sports days - he's a frustrated sports commentator!:D), but they don't actually win anything. In the juniors the same thing applies, but they get points for their houses and at the end of the games they announce which house has won, but they don't get a prize or anything. I can't honestly say I've seen or heard any negativity towards the way the sports days are held.

They also take part in lots of competitions outside of school as part of school teams - football, cricket, rugby, athletics, cross country, etc... which they are very successful at, mainly, I reckon, because it's the largest school in the area by miles so they've got a bigger pool of talent to pick from. Which is kind of the problem. They don't seem to "teach" sports, rather they just pick the ones who are good already and send them to competitions.

DD has been in the cross country team for the last few years and has had much success with them, but she also plays rugby out of school at under 10's level for a team where all the rest are boys and we're having the devils own job getting the school to allow her to play rugby at school, probably because she's not very good, but that's not the point. The coaches at the rugby club she plays for have been fabulous with her and they love having her on the team and have never said to me that she's hopeless (even though she is, really), so why can't the school accommodate her? There have also been afew parents of boys DD's age that have said the same thing, that their children don't get a look in either. It's a difficult one to find an answer to really - either the school only utilise the more talented kids and win everything, or they nurture all the kids that want to participate and not do so well at competitions.

Luckily for DD, there's no changing room hell to go through at primary school, she's got all that to look forward to in 2 years time!

Jx

Charityworker

Wow what a can of worms this has opened.

For a start some of you seem to be presuming I'm this bad mum who wants to get my child out of doing anything she doesn't want to do. That is not the case. My child has had 100% attendance for the last 2 years.

I think some of you have misread the question. My daughter picked her options last September as they all do at this age. When she did it pe was a compulsory subject up until they pick their options. I saw something on the news the other day about the government changing pe to a non compulsory subject at the options stage. Then I went on holiday abroad for a week, came back 2 days ago and heard nothing more about it. So what I am asking is, is pe now a non compulsory subject for over 15s which can be dropped the same as she dropped other subjects at the options stage?

As for the comment saying that I will carry on doing this for her in adult life. Well if you were doing something in your adult life which made you depressed all week and you had phobic like feelings about it surely you would give it up. Adults do have choices!

thegirlintheattic

Charityworker wrote: »

Wow what a can of worms this has opened.

For a start some of you seem to be presuming I'm this bad mum who wants to get my child out of doing anything she doesn't want to do. That is not the case. My child has had 100% attendance for the last 2 years.

I think some of you have misread the question. My daughter picked her options last September as they all do at this age. When she did it pe was a compulsory subject up until they pick their options. I saw something on the news the other day about the government changing pe to a non compulsory subject at the options stage. Then I went on holiday abroad for a week, came back 2 days ago and heard nothing more about it. So what I am asking is, is pe now a non compulsory subject for over 15s which can be dropped the same as she dropped other subjects at the options stage?

As for the comment saying that I will carry on doing this for her in adult life. Well if you were doing something in your adult life which made you depressed all week and you had phobic like feelings about it surely you would give it up. Adults do have choices!

PE is mandatory at KS4, no changes have been made.

pinetree

Hi charityworker, I sympathise with you as my son was like your daughter, he enjoyed swimming and cycling outside school but hated the compulsary football and rugby which boys are supposed to enjoy. I am guilty of writing notes to PE teachers but it meant my son going to school and not faking illness because of PE. I phoned the PE dept to explain my sons shyness/self consciousness and could he take part in other sports but it never happened, I just dont think they got it as they hadnt experienced these feelings themselves, anyway my son has left school now, all the best I hope you can sort something out but with the olympics etc sport will now probably take over the national curriculum

j.e.j.

OP this might provide you with the answers you are looking for?

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Parents/Schoolslearninganddevelopment/ExamsTestsAndTheCurriculum/DG_10013877

ETA it looks like PE is compulsory, but that doesn't mean you can't contact the school and register a comment. If you put your concerns in writing hopefully they will be willing to sort something out with you.

Tish_P

how do I think the less academic children feel in maths lessons?

I wish.

*fades into a daydream of an alternative reality where the kids who got a maths question wrong were loudly jeered at by teachers and pupils alike, kids who were good at PE were ostracised as sports-swots, and all the boys fancied me for being good at algebra*

Back in the real world, other subjects are not taught as competitions. There might be a prize for the best (which I think is fine, for both sports and academic subjects) but there is no humiliation for the worst.

poet123

SevenCL wrote: »

She couldd just flat out refuse to participate. What are they going to do, undress her, change her and manually work her limbs with puppet strings?

So they try to punish her for non-participation - so what? They can't physically force her to do anything - not write lines, not be detained after class, at break or at lunch, not force her to do more homework.

Children and their parents have this idea that "compulsory" in school really means compulsory. It doesn't. I opted out of all school activities in second year of high school, choosing instead to spend my time reading (or assisting the other students in the "bad kid's room" with their work - I was stored there for lack of anywhere else to put me, on the days I decided to go in at all). Once you realise that rules can broken if you own your decisions and deem the consequences acceptable, life gets much better. I can't imagine having such low self-esteem that I'd participate in a sport simply because I'm ordered to by people who are ultimately impotent.

Of course she could go down that route but is that the advice you would give in any situation where you are asked to do something you may not particularly want to do?

If that is your usual MO how did you get qualifications, get a job or career, move up the ladder? Of course, you may be the exception to the rule, the maverick free spirit who is an entrepreneurial genius who needs no conventions to succeed.

verucasaltt

In Scotland P.E is mandatory until 5th year.

I can empathise with your Daughter, many people did not enjoy team or competitive sports at School. I'm sure your School would accommodate and reach a compromise if you explained to her form teacher/head of year or department how much the lessons were negatively affecting your Daughter.

verucasaltt

poet123 wrote: »

Of course she could go down that route but is that the advice you would give in any situation where you are asked to do something you may not particularly want to do?

If that is your usual MO how did you get qualifications, get a job or career, move up the ladder? Of course, you may be the exception to the rule, the maverick free spirit who is an entrepreneurial genius who needs no conventions to succeed.

PE is a different ball game to other subjects don't you think? If a student enjoys it then they will carry it on for higher, if it is causing them distress then why wouldn't you as a parent wish to try and sort the issue?