to think this is unacceptable

[mileend2bermondsey]

Just found out that in my hometown high school PE activities are still split by gender. The boys do football and rugby, the girls do netball and hockey. When the girls do dance, the boys do tennis. I cant believe this seperation is still going on without question.

Apparantly if a child 'kicks up a fuss' about wanting to do a sport of the opposite gender they will be allowed to do it but would be the only boy or girl in the class, hence hardly any do.

I think this is outrageous, all children should be taught all sports available as standard. Why is a seperation based on gender neccessary, and why is this still going on?

And again, talent in sport is not the point. It's being active.

I'm surprised everyone thinks it's normal to seperate by sex for PE. We all had PE together and did 6 weeks of a sport before switching to swimming for 6 weeks and then back to a different sport and back to swimming etc.
Generally the sports were running, volleyball, basketball, gymnastics, and a bit of judo, korfball (I think this is like netball), frisbee, baseball, football, tennis, squash etc etc.
Not in the UK though and we had no extracurricular sports at/organised through school (not done here), but plenty after school.
Pe was compulsory for everyone.

Lass you're obsessed with the possibility of sports injuries.

Kids can injure themselves

• in science class
• in design & technology (maybe they don't call it that any more, I may be showing my age)
• in the playground
• on the way to / from school

If the child is taught to play safely and warm up / cool down safely, they're unlikely to sustain any life-threatening / life-changing injuries.

And what are you going to do if your child expresses an interest in a sport and starts learning to play professionally? Wrap them in cotton wool on the football field?

Agree with you, Mileend. In this day and age I'm actually shocked that there are still "girls' sports" and "boys' sports" at school. Of course I do think that boys and girls should still be seperated in PE, but that both sexes should have a go at all sports available in the school, so girls have a go at football and cricket, and boys try netball and hockey. That way all those pupils who fancied having a go at something that wasn't traditionally for their sex could do so without feeling awkward.

boys try netball and hockey.

Hockey is routinely played by both sexes.

Out of interest, are there any male netball teams/leagues? I know that there are female rugby and football leagues but there seems to be either no male netball teams or zero coverage of them.

"Hockey is routinely played by both sexes."
I was only going by what people had said upthread Soup. I don't have children so no idea what happens in school these days, but posters were suggesting hockey was mainly just offered to the boys(?). There's actually a lot of hockey being played at uni by the men, and one of my female class mates is in a basketball team. Personally I loath sport shudders at the memories of school PE lessons

Yes Lass. Because your own individual perception is more valid than 100s of scientific studies, scholarly articles and medical research.

Doesn't alter the fact none of the sporty, active children at school with me went to university. And thinking of the people I was friends with at university almost none of them had any interest in sport.

And why this obsession that to be physically active has to involve sport as opposed to walking, cycling as a means of transport , dancing, gardening, not taking the lift, housework.

And as much as I loathed it where did this idea that hockey is a girls' game come from?

Don't think op will be back if her other thread is anything to go by.

Actually I'm a university-going sports mad person. The theme of the thread is now. 'I hated sport at school but I went to university and the people who liked sport are low-earning low lifes'. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Lass, here's a link to a Guardian article outlining key benefits. www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2015/sep/03/fit-for-learning-what-research-says-about-the-benefits-of-sport

I can't believe you think the risk of injury is greater than the risk to children's health if they don't take part in sport. As for your own experience of sporty people not being brainy, maybe try telling that to all the people at University who are playing sports?

Lass, whatever you do don't let facts interfere with your long-held prejudices. That would be a travesty

keeptrudging I agree with all of your posts. It's about the benefits and enjoyment of sport. Nothing else.

Hockey isn't a 'girl's game'.

I do hate the way that we are told that we only hate boys games because we are told to- I hate boys games full stop.
I grew up with brothers- happy to play beach cricket, tennis etc but never once kicked a football - had no desire to. I grudgingly did it with my son when a lone parent- until he got to 6 yrs and joined a team.
School sport was very damaging when I loathed PE and games - took years to enjoy anything. I can't bear the misery of being expected to do a term of football or rugby. I know that I would have spent the entire lesson avoiding any contact with the ball. Made far worse by people saying 'don't be silly dear, you are just conditioned to think that'!

I understand Mehitabel. Some love sport some don't. I would just like girls to not be put off sport by cultural expectations and peer pressure.

At the same time I would hate them being made utterly miserable by having to play traditional boys games and when they loathe it being told they don't really- it is cultural and peer pressure!

I hate boys games full stop

Fair enough, but please try not to wreck the attempts of those that don't believe that there are "boys" and "girls" games and would like all kids to have a chance to play all games.

I'm not into team sports at all, but it's due to the fact that I tried them that I know the reasons why...

It's very wrong. I agree, Op. They all need to have a go at everything as much as possible.

Learning to play netball can be a good way for boys to meet girls a bit later on! At my uni the girls team were allowed a boy as centre. (Sightly frivolous reply).

I imagine knowledge of sports traditionally associated with the opposite sex is a good conversation opener for girls and boys.

If we stop separating boys and girls so much in terms of permissible interests they might all find the easier to mix and get on as adults.

If we stop separating boys and girls so much in terms of permissible interests they might all find the easier to mix and get on as adults.

Very good point!

There is already a huge problem with girls not wanting to do PE and games. As far as I can see, a bracing PE teacher saying ' it is just conditioning' will make it worse. It is nothing to do with 'conditioning' - girls can play these games should they wish. I can't see why they have to be forced into it at school.
PE and Games should be made appealing- not put children off. I could never see the point in things like throwing the javelin. I couldn't throw the javelin, I had no wish to throw the javelin and yet I was forced to have a go- even though I made no effort. There was no way that I was going to make an effort.
There was no way I would play football. I would run around the pitch, kick the ball if it came right to me but I certainly wouldn't tackle! You can make a child do the lesson but you can't make them actively take part.
I am not sure how I could cope with rugby because I certainly would avoid any mud.
Sorry if that upsets some of you but I can't think that I am alone.
I didn't fare much better in hockey and netball. I rarely got near the ball in hockey and I never knew where I could go in netball so didn't go anywhere much.
It is a vicious circle. I was chosen last for teams and then they expect you to make an effort when they don't want you! I got my own back by asking the team leader at the end 'who won' - consequently you get chosen last.
A back in the winning side was my favourite position.
PE teachers are responsible for putting hoards of people off any sport for life.

At the comprehensive dd1 and dd2 are at they split them for PE but they give the group a list of sports and let them discuss/vote on what they wish to do.
This term dd1's class has done squash and gym (not gymnastics) and dance(the school has an arrangement with a local gym for them to use the equipment during the day)
And dd2's have done rugby (contact), badminton and are about to start dance.

I don't think any boy group has chosen dance yet in the 4 years dd1's been at the school.

However personally I think they don't get enough of any one sport to get anywhere. they have 4-6 weeks each time before changing. That's 8-12 lessons. Very few sports will that be enough to get to the point of them being good enough to join a team in that time.
It's good for the non-sporty hating ones as they don't get to the point of having enough of any one sport, but for those who would have a chance of being good at the sport, they don't get to a level of competence at school that can take them into a club.
When I was at school the girls did hockey, boys did rugby and very few played outside school in a club, but there were a number each year who got into the county teams.

And if you play the sport outside school, then it is fairly much a waste of your time inside school. At 13yo I could beat any boy or girl at secondary at tennis. Not just that... I could beat the teacher too.

Anyone who is really keen is going to do it outside school. Anyone who is really keen will join school extra curricular groups.
If you want to encourage sport the last thing to do is force them into it. It makes them anti. After school cross country running it took me 20 years to start running - what a waste! If PE teachers didn't think they were a 'fun' lesson and didn't run roughshod over feelings as in 'don't be so silly, you are just conditioned to think that' - you might have girls and women who are more active in sport.

God i don't think they should be madeto carry pe longer!
I hated pe so much. I really dreaded it.
Friends would 'forget'their kit, have notes or just forge them.anything to get out of it.
I was terrible at sport.
No not from lack of trying or from bloody conditioning but a lack of coordination!
It is sole destroying to be picked last, to come last, to have people laughing at you, to have people avidly avoiding you.
Then there's the having to get changed.
Maths and pe bought my fantastic grades down!
I was anxious just at the thought of pe, i was so happy when i didn't have to do it anymore.

I was really good at netball by the time I left primary school and I loved it. None of the children seem to be any good at it at my dss' primary school, having spent years trying various sports for all of five minutes. Most sports are only really enjoyable once you have got reasonably good. Learning badminton or squash for not long enough to hit the shuttlecock/ball properly just tells all but the most co-ordinated that it isn't worth the effort, because they never experience the reward of getting better with sufficient time and practice. On the other hand, you can also flog a dead horse... Whatever way you look at it, I am vehemently opposed to the making compulsory of any full contact sport. Rugby can bugger off out of the curriculum so far as I'm concerned and I wouldn't miss it.