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Original poster

Is failing PE in KS2 a problem ?

121 replies

FailingatPE · 29/09/2017 18:45

My 9yo DS last year report from school had great scores for all subjects for achievement and effort except a single fail for PE.

As we get the reports on the last day of the year before summer, I didn't have chance to talk to the teacher and tbh I assumed it must of been an error. After all how can you fail at PE ?

However caught up with the teacher today, who said it wasn't an error. Despite good effect he failed.

I asked for more specific and I was told that he found catching and throwing a ball hard. Didn't concentrate or do teams properly. Specifically said he wasn't cut out for competitive sports and he should try archery !

Also cautioned against joining football teams at school, as the other boys are so much better than him.

I am torn between saying sod it, it is only PE, worrying or signing him up for loads of sporting things.

OP posts:
topcat2014 · 30/09/2017 08:16

I would have failed any PE reports, (although they didn't do them iirc).

Probably dispraxic, although it didn't exist then ('70s).

Still running a half marathon next week though..

When I saw 'fail', I thought USA. I wouldn't guild the lily of the report if I was OP.

Micah · 30/09/2017 08:17

Sod it. Who cares?

My dd started secondary last year. She failed pe for the first two terms.

Then she missed a week of school because she was away with the GB gymnastics squad on a training camp and it became known she was a high level gymnast.

She’s tiny and has never really played team ball sports before. Her pe teacher assumed she was no good at sport.

I laughed.

Looneytune253 · 30/09/2017 08:21

Working under expected standard is not a fail?? Wow poor kid. Just means he's below average. Same as being below average in English, you don't just give up because you've 'failed' you carry on and give encouragement??

ForalltheSaints · 30/09/2017 08:24

I saw the mention of concentration. Is that a real issue and can you help with that?

IroningMountain · 30/09/2017 08:26

My dd has and is getting intervention. I think there is a way to go though in schools and there needs to be more focus on the less able in PE.

The measure of PE success in this country seems to be how many medals we get at the Olympics. Utterly wrong.

Hayesking · 30/09/2017 08:27

Buy a ball and a netball hoop and practice ball skills outside. If you don't have a garden take him to the park and chuck a ball around.

Hayesking · 30/09/2017 08:28

there needs to be more focus on the less able in PE.

It is set at dds secondary. This works well.

WonderLime · 30/09/2017 08:31

it really would not kill the teacher to stay beyond 3.30 and offer additional tuition.

Or perhaps the parent could go out and kick a ball with their child, instead? Hmm

Northernparent68 · 30/09/2017 08:32

Why the shocked face Hayesking ? Of course the teacher should do something for the less able,

Lala241280 · 30/09/2017 08:32

Totally with backofsunshine on this one
5foot5 let's hope your kids don't adopt your attitude towards subjects at school

Some kids want to go down the career path which will involve PE

Hayesking · 30/09/2017 08:35

Why on earth should the teacher spend unpaid time on this? They probably already run after school sports clubs which they don't get paid to do.

A football costs a fiver. It wouldn't kill parents to do this themselves

BurnTheBlackSuit · 30/09/2017 08:38

Surely the whole purpose of PE is to encourage lifelong exercise. Not to put children off so they think they can't do it and become unfit and unhealthy adults.

So a child's throwing, catching, hitting and team sports aren't up to scratch? Your son cycles, swims, walks and runs. If he does that and enjoys it, then don't worry about PE.

Especially as PE writes off the less sporty without help. When I was at school, I couldn't run the mile round the field. So I "failed" that. They did nothing about it. I now can run it, because I have taken myself through the CouchTo5k. Why can't schools do courses like that?

Ionarocks · 30/09/2017 08:39

I wouldnt say he's failed but the teacher doesn't sound very supportive to discourage him from joining clubs. Surely that's the way to improve and these should be open to all?

If I were you I would just focus a bit on it yourself. So either sign him up for some groups outside of school or just practise catching and throwing in the park. Even if he doesn't improve I'm sure you'll have fun and it will be good exercise. I wouldn't worry at all though.

Standingonlego · 30/09/2017 08:40

Second the poster higher up in thread who said try parkrun - great for confidence and fitbess. Find a junior one near you, 9am Sundays

OP - what sports / physical stuff do you like or enjoy doing?

Hayesking · 30/09/2017 08:40

Surely the whole purpose of PE is to encourage lifelong exercise.

Not the whole purpose, no. That's a positive side effect. There are children who study it academically and who make a career out of it. It's a subject like any other.

OutwiththeOutCrowd · 30/09/2017 08:42

What has the teacher’s gender got to do with it?

It was the negativity and dismissive attitude contained in the comments made by the teacher combined with the focus on team ball sports that made me wonder if he might be male.

I can only go from the description given – but I’m not finding him helpful or constructive in what he is saying. He’s not offering to arrange opportunities to practise at school or anything very specific that OP’s DS can try out of school – except maybe archery!? He’s even warning the DS off trying to play football in a school team because other boys are better. (As if it’s against the law to play football unless you’re good at it and impossible to become good at it once labeled otherwise.)

It all smacks of the classic football machismo mindset, which takes delight in creating hierarchies and excluding the less able.

What I would want to know from the DS in this scenario is whether anyone actually passes the ball to him during school games, whether he is ignored or helped by the teacher, whether he is allowed to join in football games in the playground and whether he has difficulty finding other boys to do teamwork with in the classroom.

The impact of being the ‘non-sporty’ boy can be insidious!

Hayesking · 30/09/2017 08:44

Oh fgs. Girls play football too you know outwith

Hayesking · 30/09/2017 08:45

What I would want to know from the DS in this scenario is whether anyone actually passes the ball to him during school games, whether he is ignored or helped by the teacher, whether he is allowed to join in football games in the playground and whether he has difficulty finding other boys to do teamwork with in the classroom

Or you could pop to the shops today and buy a football and go and kick it around with him. I'm saying more fun and less angst?

Ellisandra · 30/09/2017 08:46

Don't be so over dramatic Hmm
He didn't "fail".
This is a good lesson to him that most people don't excel at everything, and how to deal with that.
Feel sorry for the parent who had the same but for maths and English and is scared about the confidence loss in their child for subjects they will need to pass in future.

Summerisdone · 30/09/2017 08:54

I'm not quite sure about the 'fail' in PE, tbh I didn't think it was possible to fail at it unless at GCSE level, but then my DS is still too young for school yet and it's been almost 20 years since I myself was in primary school.

What I do want to advise you of though OP, is to talk to your child and let him know that whilst a fail in PE isn't a big deal in the scheme of things, he should not let this get to him. If he enjoys a certain sport then there is absolutely no harm in him continuing to take part.

I was always told I was bad at PE, no good at anything from netball to hockey, athletics to tennis. I grew to believe I hated sports and anything that involved exercise as I was so bad, and it's taken me to the age of 28 to realise that I don't actually hate it.
I recently got invited to join a women's football group, just for a kick about at weekends and to make more friends in the area and from there I've also been going along to the tennis group every other week and I've also been giving running a go.

I may not be the best and certainly have no chances at competition levels but I actually do enjoy the different things I've recently been taking up.

Though I really do doubt I'd ever enjoy netball Grin

DrCoconut · 30/09/2017 08:55

If it was an academic subject and being below average seemed uncharacteristic it may be worth looking into just in case there is anything to nip in the bud. But really no one who is destined to do well at school loses out on that because of PE. Encourage him to keep fit and certainly not give the teacher attitude or anything, but otherwise don't worry, especially at a young age. Tell him it doesn't matter whether he's sporty or not if it's upsetting him. None of my kids are and I genuinely don't care.

bigfatbumfreak · 30/09/2017 09:00

Children don't fail at 9 years old, that's pathetic. What twats the school are.

Hayesking · 30/09/2017 09:02

He didn't fail!!

Coloursthatweremyjoy · 30/09/2017 09:04

My son has ASD with poor muscle tone and is quite uncoordinated. He hates football and struggles with team sports.

At parent teacher evening the PE teacher was lovely and opened with "well, he's probably never going to play for England but..." then went on to expound about how his catching had improved and his good sportsmanship etc.

Outside of school he does trampolining which he enjoys and has gained a few certificates in.

Mind you looking at what my youngest will be doing in PE this year, you'd think that if it doesn't involve a ball it doesn't count as a sport. A bit narrow if you aren't into football tbh.

It might help to remember OP that nobody is good at everything. I think parents and sometimes schools forget that.

Dahlietta · 30/09/2017 09:08

Not meeting expected level for his age is NOT failing and you are being unfair to look at it this way. Of course PE has an actual curriculum, which contains lots of important skills to do with coordination, physical fitness and teamwork, for example. Some children are naturally going to be better at these than others and you should be telling your son that there is nothing wrong with finding these things more difficult than others do.

The PE teacher has told you the areas in which he is not meeting expectations, but it sounds to me like the biggest problem here is not your child's ability in PE, but the fact that his teacher sounds a bit dismissive of him. The comment about the football is awful, I think - if he struggles with the teamwork element of sport, the answer is not to tell him to stay away from it.

The question is, how much do you care? You can either accept that it's not his thing or you can go back to the school (perhaps his form teacher rather than the PE teacher if that is a different person as the PE teacher doesn't sound very helpful) and raise your concerns that he is being dismissed, or you can do lots of work outside of school, possibly even including finding him a club to join.
Personally I'd be most worried about coordination and fitness elements. If you are happy with those and that you can work on them at home, I wouldn't worry too much about teamwork, but I am a bit of an antisocial cow.

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