2 hours a week - primary school physically education

[SteamWisher]

I'm doing school tours as my PFB starts primary school next year.

I was and :( when they said the kids only did two hours of PE a week. Seems very little to me. AIBU and unrealistic? There's so much in the news about overweight kids so why not more.

Not just that but they don't seem to get out much beyond play time. I don't know - I just wish kids had more outdoor learning.

I left school over 10 years ago and that's all we got in primary and secondary school. I thought that was normal though.

My DD only has PE once a week for an hour. It's supposed to be 2 hours but never is. It's not much is it?!

As a former primary teacher, Yanbu. But the curriculumis so huge that there isn't the time.

You need to go private if you want more sports.

Yes I knew it would be the curriculum and my fear is it will get worse. My children love the outdoors - they seem to come alive.
It must be possible to incorporate more "outdoors" into learning surely.

Not just sport Trifle, just being out more. Why do private schools manage it?

Just spotted the typo fail in my OP heading I need to go back to school

Don't blame the schools it's the curriculum - far too many subjects/topics to cover and too many academic targets to meet!
Only if you lengthened the school day could more PE be crammed in! Also 8 classes here have to share the same hall so restricted by that as well in the bad weather. Most children run around for the best part of an hour at lunchtime so not all bad

Private schools have a longer day and often weekends to fit the sport in. Smaller classes which allows work to get covered more quickly.
In fairness to schools, people shout loud enough if their children don't learn to read/ write quickly enough. Schools are there to educate - that is their purpose, not to be a babysitter, not to be a parent replacement. I doubt very much that the OP is expecting them to take her place in her DCs lives, but far too many parents abdicate their responsibility to the schools and expect them to do all the things that parents used to do. (I'll hold my hands up and say that I leave as much playdough to preschool as possible - I can't stand the feel of the stuff!!)

Where do you suggest it is fitted into the school week amongst the literacy and numeracy that we have to do ?
There are not enough hours in a school week. More PE means less ICT /art/music/listening to readers (of which there is very little time for as it is) .

It will theoretically be 2 hours, but they won't be getting that much actual physical activity.

Private schools get more as very often they are on the premises for many more hours over the course of the week. Also, they are not dictated to (as to what they can teach) by every successive Education Secretary.

My dc's school do go outside if appropriate for the lesson and the weather but you would only be told that they do 2 hours of pe. Being outside does not always mean being active either as I recall an art lesson outside so definitely not active as they were stood at easels drawing nature. 3 cases of sunburn that day too including one of mine who burnt her scalp because they weren't told to get hats from the cloakroom (went out a different door)

Well schools do go outdoors for other subjects but that wasn't your question!

And of course independent schools manage more because their school day is longer!

Of course, by finishing at around 3.15, that leaves plenty of time - if it's important to you - for you to take them to swimming lessons / football coaching / dance classes or running around in forests and hills near where you live. Problem solved.

I'm always amazed by how much of a child's physical well-being many parents delegate to school and teachers. EY get more outside time than other years, with large and small equipment, but your child's exercise level should be something you take responsibility for as well.
So how much vigorous physical activity and play is he involved in out of school, how much walking? What about the holidays?

Not when you work full time, otherwise yes that's exactly what I'd do.

I think sport and being outside is important part of education although appreciate that not everyone feels that way.

that 2 hours is only from the time they are at school. There is plenty of time in evenings and weekends, as well as weekends, for children to be active too.

Schools can only fit so much into the timetable. 2 hours PE plus time running around outside at break and lunch is fine.

Silver I work so there's only so much I can dictate but his preschool has him outside every day. When with me, we do swimming once a week and get to the park or outside weather permitting (even in winter, as long as it's not chucking it down). I also walk as much as possible.
In no way would I delegate - same for reading/writing and other aspects of his education. However I expect school to be more than the academic side.

Tell Gove that.

2 hours of PE is standard.

However my dcs do loads more exercise than that in a week between walking to and from school, after school/lunchtime sports clubs, swimming lessons, weekend football. I think they are pretty active at playtimes too.

Reception children should have plenty of access to outdoor learning btw

There is too much in the curriculum for them to have more than 2 hours of PE, and it won't even be that when they are in reception as half the time is taken up with changing into PE kit. Don't rely on school PE to provide any actual excercise for the first couple of years either, alot of it is throwing, catching, kicking and that kind of thing.

In my experience of working in a primary school, most of the excercise they get during school time happens at break and lunch, and only then if they are inclined to run around.

A good reception class should allow children to have a lot of access to the outdoors though. We have an outdoor learning area and the majority of the children spend a lot of time outside.

Why not more? Errr because we have to do an hour of maths everyday. An hour of literacy. Half an hour of guided reading. Then there are 2 hours of science. 2 hours of pe. Geography, history, Ict, French, art, re, pshe. Oh and the trip to the library. The odd class story, phonics, any trips and extra topic work. Assemblies. Plus all those little things that just happen in schools like comic relief, world book day etc. Where do you suggest we put the extra pe? Don't forget children also have 1 hour at lunchtime and a good chunk of this could be running around. Plus a 15 minute break.

I would if he would listen. However he'd have kids chained to desks from 8am til sundown if he had his way learning Latin and the timetables.

Now people are pointing out playtime and I'm relaxing a little bit more about 2 hours a week.

Yes the reception kids have free flow to outdoors but after that they dont, is that right?