To think PE is a waste of time

[ICantfindagoodusername]

I'm totally prepared to be flamed, but please take the time to read the thread rather than just saying YABU because of the title.
I think PE is a waste of time because:
•Why is it the school's job to make sure our kids get enough exercise? An example of the government parenting our kids for us.
•Why does it always have to be team sports? Schools could do other more interesting PE choices, such as zumba, aerobics, and other things that don't involve running around outside in the cold and rain.
•What good does it do for your education? If a kid is overweight, a couple of hours of standing on a football pitch won't change anything. The time could be better spent covering more of the curriculum. Kids run around at lunchtime anyways.
•PE is supposed to make kids foster a life long love of sports. But in reality, lots of kids LOATHE it, and as soon as they are 16, quit PE, never to do it again.

Our OT team go into schools to train staff in order that they realise the realities of dyspraxia so they don't just disnpmiss kids as having a poor attitude to PE. Clearly far more work needs to be done outside of schools too.

I have reported your post Reallytired.

I can see why schools do it but I think pupils should have the choice to drop it when they choose what options they want to do. I hated PE at school especially when it came to being in the last 2 years as I hadn't chosen it as an option but still had to do some of it every week. It was either quick cricket or rounders. As I was rubbish always got picked last and ended up forging a note off my mum half the time to get out of it.

My dd's PE lessons were never differentiated,her SEN was never passed on to the TAs,students and supply staff who always seemed to run the lessons. Children were never pulled up on name calling or mockery. The extra support she was supposed to have as was listed on her report didn't happen until I intervened. I had to make myself v unpopular and develop a v hard skin to get a diagnosis and then the support needed. Many other parents don't have the strength or the information to do the same.

I really hope this new report brings about some much needed changes.

The alpha PE girls who excelled at team sports (you know all that learning to work together constructively) were the same ones who mickey took the quieter, more studious girls. I've never quite understood the PE/team work perspective.

I don't think ReallyTired's post should be deleted. It serves to highlight the ignorance that prevails about those who are damaged by PE.

It made me want to cry as a mum and I'd hate for any dyspraxic children or adults to read it but if leaving it serves a purpose then maybe it should be.

mine

I agree

Journalist

Feck off journalists, or be honest about the fact you are doing research

You'd think they'd have enough info. There are umpteen threads containing shitty PE lesson experiences.

Green

Lazy journalist

Unable to do an Advanced Search?

Hated PE at school. Hated it.

I was a competitive swimmer, but no eye/hand co-ordination. Team sports were an absolute misery.

Team work - yes, if it's taught well (or actually taught at all). Otherwise, it's just team work skill for the naturally sporty and just aimless endurance for the rest.

I really liked cross country. I once managed to squeak into the top five and we'd been told top five could go to an interschools competition. Never mentioned to me again when I crossed the finish line . My high placing was largely due to some the sporty girls who enjoyed the audience factor of the school playing fields not seeing the point of a run through a muddy wood and having a walk and a natter instead.

Well if your child already does gymnastics no doubt she will find lessons aimed at introducing the sport to everyone at a basic level "boring"

Not every child will enjoy that or basketball or football. It's offering a variety that's important. Oh and you don't need a penis to be able to kick a ball about. DSs' high school PE lessons to be fair are whole class lessons so whatever they do is done by the whole class, boys and girls whether that be dance or rugby.

My son's PE lesson has had children who have been utterly vile to the PE teacher. Dyspraxia is not a cause of vile behaviour. Some of these children have not been brought up to respect teachers. Or they have parents who stamp down on rudeness in the German lesson, but don't believe that the PE teacher deserves the same level of respect and support.

My own son has dyspraxia. He is severely dyspraxic yet he still tries in PE. His PE teacher is kind and supportive. He always gets outstanding for effort in PE.

Dyspraxia does not cause a child to pretend they have a broken arm. Dyspraxia does not cause the parent to write a load of fake excuse letters. Dyspraxia is does not cause an outright refusal to even try.

Getting a diagnosis for dyspraxia is not just being bad at PE. There is a whole bunch of issues that affect the person. For example tying shoelaces, spatial awareness, organisation, social skills, verbal skills and in some cases auditory processing and short term memory. Dyspraxia affects every aspect of living.

Why is it assumed that any child who is bad at PE has a medical condition?
Why is it so awful to say that crap parenting / attitude can cause worse problems than medical conditions?

I am sure that my son's community paediatrian would agree with me that there is a difference between dyspraxia and outright vile behaviour.

And, puff, no sign of the op

Quel surprise

Exactly. Another lovely PE bashing thread. MN hates school PE lessons. It's official. Never mind all the kids who love PE and who look forward to it. Let's hear from all the posters who seem to have attended very dodgy boarding schools in the 1950s.

"Well if your child already does gymnastics no doubt she will find lessons aimed at introducing the sport to everyone at a basic level "boring" hmm"

Health and safety prevents any remotely interesting gymnastics. For example the children are not allowed to hang from bars or climb ropes for fear of falling. Many girls have already taught themselves cartwheels yet they aren't allowed to attempt a forward roll in a PE lesson.

A gymnastics teacher would differentiate at a club.

You said not trying in PE is due to shitty parenting and is no excuse. Dyspraxia symptoms vary hugely in their nature and severity.

Some children may we'll be trying but are still crap.

Some children may not be trying because they can see there is no point.

Some children may not be trying as a bravado front to the constant mockery from staff and other children.

My dd tries in PE but has been accused of not- several times. I am not a shitty parent. She is not lazy.

I agree with RT's very last post... I think the original idea of PE was (partly) to gain confidence from risk taking & pushing the body. And to use up spare physical energy. But PE is so toned down, so namby pamby and low risk, it doesn't achieve that any more.

fwiw, I was the least sporty capable kid. Always weak & slow. PE teacher almost spat on ground in disgust when I ran a mile (10+ minutes). I didn't care b/c I was used to being publicly labeled crap. I never would have ran a mile if I hadn't been pushed, much less run it regularly all year. I run a lot now, 35 yrs later, it's my ultimate challenge.

ps: Just because it's very challenging, doesn't mean you shouldn't try to do it.

Many girls have already taught themselves cartwheels yet they aren't allowed to attempt a forward roll in a PE lesson.

A gymnastics teacher would differentiate at a club.
But this isn't a club and they aren't all girls, this is or lesson with one teacher to 30 kids. I am sure kids who are skilled in other sports might find it boring when their own sport is covered. Equally the same in lots of subjects but or in particular often requires the lesson to fit the lowest common denominator as its not safe to give one group a more advanced lesson unsupervised while the teacher teaches a different group the basics.

Woah, reallytired stop. I said my dd is not good at pe. Please do not assume that thatt means she behaves badly or has a shitty attitude. That is really nasty of you.
And I have never given her the idea that pe is not important to do. But I have explained to her a million times that as long as she tries her best I'm not disappointed if she can't manage to do well.
That doesn't stop her feeling bad when everyone watches her fail.

The best thing ever that's come in certainty at primary level here, is the daily mile. Every child in every class gets out to walk, jog or run a mile every school day. It's doing more for fitness than PE but isn't of course teaching any skill as such.

Lljk who says children aren't trying? Trying to run when battling without coordination is a world away from trying to run with. Trying to run with pain is a world away from trying to run without. There are dyspraxic kids in every class,many undiagnosed. There will be kids struggling with several other disabilities too in the same way an English class will contain all manner of different SEN issues.

The difference is in English you get support,understanding and respect. In PE you don't.

I said I agreed with RT's very last post about kids not allowed to take risks. I don't know about trying or not... I've helped out in PE lessons & obv. some kids try harder than others, ime. Pretty much same as any other subject.

I am someone who put my all in during PE but still got ridiculed for it (including by the PE teacher himself). More b/c I was generally despised than b/c of how badly I did. Some non-sporty kids were never mocked b/c they were popular. I understand why folk are oversensitive to what else RT said.. I wouldn't take RT very seriously.

The thing is you won't know what SEN's kids are battling,same as if you helped out in an English class. Diff is you're conditioned to feel sympathy for those struggling with reading or writing.

Hard to ignore RT post when you've repeatedly had a child come home in tears after PE lessons due to remarks from teachers,kids,pain and embarrassment.

I'm really shocked that there are people being forced to do PE in 6th form. That's awful. I was really glad to get away from it when I went to college. Where it's compulsory, PE should be about nutrition and health/fitness. Learn about the body and do some inclusive activities to promote fitness. Team sports should be extra curricular for those who like them. And sports day should be entirely optional. We don't enforce public performance and trophies for the best in academic subjects or even extras such as music, and sport should be the same.