To think that PE could be reconsidered in order to be a more meaningful and enjoyable experience for secondary aged pupils (and primary too!)?

[EveSix]

This week, I'm hearing so many of DC1's school friends and parents express their frustration with the experience of PE in school (secondary age in our case, across several schools, two counties / local education authorities). So many pupils seem to loath it and struggle to participate with any real sense of enthusiasm or enjoyment.

In DC1's friendship group, PE gives rise to lots of anxiety about changing bodies and comparison; nobody seems to feel better for a stint on the field. I'm an active adult now and love physical exercise on my own terms, but remember feeling very much like DC1's friends when I went to school.

Looking at the National Curriculum for PE (KS3 copied in below), I can't help but to feel as if there could be another way of teaching young people to actually enjoy physical activity and feel good and safe in their bodies. There are so many ways to be active, and some of them, if approached sensitively and creatively, would be bound to appeal to kids who don't feel there is a place for them in PE lessons at the moment.

Across the schools I know, there seems to be a big focus on competitive team sports and track, which just isn't going to be everyone's idea of fun. I'm sure many more pupils with SEN and anxiety are exempt from PE than geography or food tech because it's can be such a high stress environment. When I exercise, I'm definitely not looking for a stressy time.

Does anyone care to join me in musing on what alternative provision and activities might be enjoyed more broadly if made available?
If you didn't like PE the way it was taught at your secondary school, is there an activity you think you might have enjoyed? Or perhaps a different approach to teaching PE altogether? Contributions from DC welcome!

YABU: young people just need to crack on with it; PE is character-building

YANBU: PE could be made more enjoyable and relevant to a wider range of pupils

My suggestions would be (some might involve travel to facilities not within easy walking distance):
Yoga
Pilates
Nordic walking
Mindfulness walking
Archery
Fencing
Badminton
Table tennis
Rollerskating
Ice skating (DC1's school is in spitting distance of an ice skating rink, for instance)
Gym sessions for cardio (exercise bikes, treadmills, rowing machines etc) and free weights

I am convinced that if I'd had the experience of learning to enjoy a range of physical activities that made me feel good about myself in a relaxed environment during OR lessons, I would have been happier in general at school.

Here's the the first part if the PE Programme of Study for KS3:

Purpose of study
A high-quality physical education curriculum inspires all pupils to succeed and excel in competitive sport and other physically-demanding activities. It should provide opportunities for pupils to become physically confident in a way which supports their health and fitness.

Opportunities to compete in sport and other activities build character and help to embed values such as fairness and respect.

Aims
The national curriculum for physical education aims to ensure that all pupils:
 develop competence to excel in a broad range of physical activities
 are physically active for sustained periods of time
 engage in competitive sports and activities
 lead healthy, active lives.
Attainment targets
By the end of each key stage, pupils are expected to know, apply and understand the matters, skills and processes specified in the relevant programme of study.
Schools are not required by law to teach the example content in [square brackets].

Yoga and pirates should not be alternatives to exercise. Most kids do little enough proper exercise so pleased don't give them even more opportunity to be sedentary.

What I hated about PE at school was the shit changing facilities and lack of time for changing/ hygiene, lugging around PE kit, competitive sports, picking teams, shouty PE teachers, standing around waiting for a turn at something, the uniform (especially having to wear a PE skirt when it was fucking freezing outside).

They should absolutely get rid of the requirement for competition and all the shit about instilling values. Next, they should ensure changing facilities are adequate e.g. lockers, private cubicles and showers, adequate time built in for showering and changing.Also get rid of uniform requirements.

Personally I think we should maybe do away with teaching PE at school and move towards a system of giving vouchers for a choice of exercise class/free sessions at the local pool/gym etc. With a set minimum of hours that school kids should complete each year to pass.

I mean, has anyone, ever, in the history of time found a love of sport or even managed to maintain a decent level of fitness through school PE lessons????

What I hated about PE at school was the shit changing facilities and lack of time for changing/ hygiene, lugging around PE kit, competitive sports, picking teams, shouty PE teachers, standing around waiting for a turn at something.

They should absolutely get rid of the requirement for competition and all the shit about instilling values. Next, they should ensure changing facilities are adequate e.g. lockers, private cubicles and showers, adequate time built in for showering and changing.

Personally I think we should maybe do away with teaching PE at school and move towards a system of giving vouchers for a choice of exercise class/free sessions at the local pool/gym etc. With a set minimum of hours that school kids should complete each year to pass.

Christ, I HATED PE.

My son also hates it. He cried every PE day until year 3, now he's just resigned to the fact that he gets tortured for half a day a week.

I can't see it changing and I totally agree with him. PE is shit.

I do think that's entirely normal for some kids, though. DS is bright & loves maths. He's never going to be good at sports & he doesn't need to be part of a team to have a well rounded education. He does swim and train at a boxing gym outside of school but I can't say he loves either.

I think the best outcome for PE would be to make it OK to love it and to loathe it but make sure the message gets across to the kids early that exercise is vital for a healthy life and PE gives them the opportunity to try sports that they may come to enjoy for life.

Being sporty is great but so is being a nerd!! We don't force kids to partake in competitive spelling bees or maths quizzes so we shouldn't also be forcing them to do whole school cross country. That's when PE starts to feel like a punishment.

I’d like to have an opt-out option.
None of that competitive nonsense is a life skill, being humiliated is not got for your mental health, and I’d bet there’s little evidence that being poor at school sports when you are in Y7 is miraculously transformed by well-taught PE lessons to enable you to achieve excellence or even a grade-appropriate level by the end of Y9.
The majority who are bad at PE just develop a hatred of the entire experience that lasts decades.

The first thing they need is a suitable PE kit.

This includes supportive footwear, not whatever is cheapest (or most expensive/trendy), with removable insoles so that orthotics can be inserted. And parents need telling that just because a size 3 doesn't completely crush the toes on five foot walk across the shop floor, that doesn't mean they should wear a size 3 in trainer.
Comfortable socks.
Sports bras from the first point that a girl begins to develop.
Longline tops that wick sweat away, dry quickly when washed and don't shrink after the first wash, exposing the midriff. Long sleeved protect from the sun and the wind.
Shorts that do the same, supportive for boys, higher waisted and longer legs.
Plain leggings with a good percentage of lycra.
A bag that doesn't cost over £35 because it's got a badge on it, doesn't weigh a ton, doesn't rub the skin off the hands when carrying it into school and is actually waterproof.
A hoodie for colder weather. Hats to wear in summer and hats to wear in winter.
A water bottle.

Then there's the physical conditioning - not going straight into forcing them to run when they might not have the leg strength to do it without pain, ankle twisting, etc. If you look at a significant number of 11 years, you will see overpronation, anterior pelvic tilt, pushing the head forward (text neck) and an almost complete absence of muscular strength, particularly in the posterior chain.

I've seen some absolutely horrendous running gait and treated the resultant ankle injuries. This is exacerbated by girls wearing crappy little pumps, loafers and dolly shoes as normal uniform - boys have fewer issues with that, but both sexes seem to be left with over pronation/flat feet as though it's not important to get it dealt with, through the use of orthotics. If PE staff identified the issue, they would find that there were some who would find activity far easier. Half the kids land with all their weight on their heels because they've never been taught to run or to develop the foot strength to land more lightly on their feet and use the inherent structure of the foot to absorb shock and spring off the ground.

Then, there's the actual real issue that most of us remember. PE teachers beasting us twice a week. I pity the kids that now have to start their lessons each term with bleep tests because it's a way that teachers can demonstrate improvements for performance related appraisal. I pity them for being screamed at and made to run around the field in the blistering cold and then stand around in the rain or midday sun with no hat, sunglasses or water and sunblock. I pity them for the way that their lack of fitness isn't identified and gradually challenged to create improvement without pain but instead, are made to go at 100% of somebody else's capacity until they feel like they're dying, get injured, have horrendous DOMS and learn that PE is purely a means of punishment. I pity every kid with EDS, RA and other musculoskeletal conditions that is bellowed at and injured because the staff just see a lazy kid and not one that is in pain and being further injured through a lack of adaptation for their capabilities.

I despised PE as a kid. I wasn't any good at it - or so I thought. I quite liked hockey and basketball and didn't mind tennis or badminton except when I slipped a disc having to carry the weights that held the nets up and couldn't move for the next 3 years without pain shooting down my back and my legs giving way

Turns out I just wasn't good at the things they valued. I came from a house where exercise didn't happen. Healthy food didn't happen. One where I was the 'clumsy' and 'useless' one and didn't have kit that made exercise tolerable and safe. Or a pair of glasses I was allowed to wear for PE (glass was too dangerous and they were 'too expensive to break' anyhow - and contacts were completely out of the question). But once I got into a gym for the first time, with suitable clothing and the ability to stop before I got hurt, I found that not only am I good at a lot of things, I absolutely love them. I now exercise around 5 times a week, I'm strong, I'm much healthier and it is the way I can put the stress of the days behind me and cope with the effects of Psoriatic Arthritis, Tendinosis and EDS far better than without it.

Kids need a C25K programme, not being screamed at in the rain to move it. They need strengthening, cardio and mobility and proprioceptive exercises. And the facility to pace themselves and listen to their bodies. They'd benefit from wobble boards, barre exercises, resistance bands and things other than netball for tall girls and football for boys in winter, compulsory athletics for all in summer.

But this doesn't just mean expense on the part of the school and on the part of parents who may not be able to afford it (and PE is rarely the recipient of a good budget in schools), it means a change of attitude and a complete rebuilding of school physical activity from the ground up so that kids look forward to it, not dread it, dread the teacher and dread the other kids laughing or taking the piss out of them for being crap, not having perfect bodies or feeling exposed.

@BogRollBOGOF

That just sounds like you had a shit PE teacher.
I’m 34 and my state school PE lessons weren’t anything like what you have described. Funnily enough I played WD and not C because I was a better defender and wasn’t quick enough for C. Can’t say it scarred me though.

I hated football but my PE teacher would compromise and let me run around the track instead (because I liked long distance running etc). She used to always accept reasonable requests/alternatives and valued effort.

Never once showered and never once felt humiliated despite not being that sporty. All my kids enjoy their state school PE lessons.

‘Yoga and pirates should not be alternatives to exercise’

MIT offer a Pirate certificate. Because they wanted their nerds to exercise and didn’t get stuck on old fashioned ideas of what that entailed.
physicaleducationandwellness.mit.edu/about/pirate-certificate/

And yoga along with Tai chi are low cost and very good exercise.

A high-quality physical education curriculum inspires all pupils to succeed and excel in competitive sport.

Nope. Not all pupils are capable of succeeding or excelling in competitive sport at all, AND THAT'S OK!! Just as not all kids are clever, not all kids are sporty.

This kind of attitude just breeds a school environment in which non-sporty kids are seen as 'lesser'.

Exactly this.

How about allowing kids to just hit the gym for an hour then do some extra study?

MUCH better option for many.

We do skiing, horse riding, badminton, yoga, table tennis on top of the usual. We are a state run school.

Strongly agree with this. Sport at school almost invariably favours the tall and the strong. My children are small and bendy. They are the last to be picked for netball and football and they hate school PE. One is a national medalist in gymnastics and the other is a black belt in mixed martial arts. If we hadn’t have been in a position (time and money) to explore different clubs and activities we would never have found sports that worked for them. Everyone is good at something and school is spectacularly bad at enabling pupils to explore their physical potential.

I’m autistic. I am not sociable and not capable of team sports. I don’t want to be forced to do anything as part of a team. I don’t want to interact with others at all and they generally don’t want to interact with me.

PE at school was hell for me because I was regularly forced to be on a team where I was picked last and hated, bullied and not wanted. I felt inadequate, like I was holding the others back, and it made them angry because I disadvantaged whoever got stuck with me.

I would have liked any individual exercise such as aerobics, stretches, yoga, Pilates, even dance. I could cope with running as long as it was individual and I wasn’t on a team. But I hated all of the team sports. I wasn’t even willing to do them occasionally, it wasn’t acceptable to make me do them EVER.

By secondary school I had a letter saying “Dadaya is autistic and must not be requested to do group activities ever, including group sports”. Of course I didn’t get given an individual alternative form of exercise - I got left in the changing room reading a book. Which was better than doing team sports but I should have been given an option that met my needs. They need to try harder to meet the exercise needs of kids who can’t or won’t do team sport.

I would have loved to do tennis and track, my school was shit and had no equipment or facilities. I think for most adults, fitness classes are where it’s at. Can’t see why Les Mills etc. couldn’t work in schools.

Was about to say exactly this. Every other subject is competitive and life after school certainly is. Why shouldn't PE be?

Back in the olden days when I was at school each half-term we'd have the chance to go in a ballot for an 'off-site' PE activity in smaller groups. There was aerobics, a local gym, badminton club, golf, swimming and 'outdoor pursuits' that were things like bowling / rock-climbing / kayaking / ice-skating and something different every week.

If you got picked then it was a small charge to take part, from a couple of £ a week for aerobics to a tenner or so for outdoor pursuits.

Those who didn't get picked in any given half-term would do usual tennis / netball / hockey / rugby / athletics at school and have another chance next half-term. Obviously if you'd been picked once you couldn't ballot for that activity again to give everyone a fair chance of having a turn.

It was nice to try some different stuff, particularly for those like me who hated team sports and had no hand-eye coordination.

I hated PE at school except for a brief, exciting period where we got to do step aerobics which I enjoyed! Then it was back to being freezing on the field feeling my heart sink every time a ball came towards me. 42 now and still can’t throw or catch - I’m not a bad runner though, and I like badminton and indoor stuff like Jillian Michaels and Joe Wicks workouts.

My DC have had a decent deal at primary - they get outside providers in to do rugby, cricket and gymnastics so there’s so decent training going on there and even unsporty DS knew the basics well. They also did archery in y6 which was amazing!

Because in maths you aren’t on a team. If you’re shit you aren’t holding anyone else back and being bullied for it. I was regularly bullied for being the weakest member of a team and spoiling it for everyone else. I would often fake an injury so I could sit out and not be picked on for dragging everyone else down.

How many people feel that their own children are having bad PE experiences now/recently at school? I don't see how it helps to talk about what happened 40 years ago.

I did a whole year of daily dance as PE when I was 15 (performing arts high school): 100 minutes every day. I was terrible at it. Mortified when we were video'd.

May I reiterate that I am myself very athletically declined, but DC like competitive sport, are sometimes good at it, and would have missed school competitions a lot.

@Q2C4

I know, bizarre isn’t it? My niece has dyslexia and dyscalculia but she shines in PE. It’s good for her self esteem when she knows she’s bottom of the pile in essentially every other subject.

My son is in year 8 and is very small for his age and certainly not strong. He still enjoys PE though 🫤. He’s very academic….. Why should we stop others from competing and being number one? Sport isn’t like that…. Life isn’t like that. Maybe it’s jealousy?

Was about to say exactly this. Every other subject is competitive and life after school certainly is. Why shouldn't PE be?

If I’d been given the opportunity as a child to crow over the sporty types who couldn’t read, spell, calculate or communicate as well as me, backed up by adult support…maybe I’d have been less bitter.
To call them stupid failures, thick and illiterate, laugh at their attempts in the classroom and mock their incompetence as I scored academic As across the board.
But you know what happens when you do that?
Teachers are appalled at your superiority complex, and you get the shit kicked out of you by the sporty lot.

Our school is quite good these days, particularly in the older years. There's a mix of options that are competitive and non competitive and they do periodically bring in coaches to do more unusual sports. My DD's year did kick boxing for a while for example.
I think cost is a big hurdle these days. If your school happens to be right next door to the local sports centre like somewhere I visited recently then having a spin class or swimming as a PE option is likely to be a lot easier than it is however than if you're somewhere a long way from such facilities.
But in general, yes, I agree a wider range of options is a good idea and streaming has potential as long as it's flexible enough. My DS was a bit put out when his school streamed for all PE based on performance in one particular sport that he loathes. So he ended up in the bottom set for general PE despite the fact he was doing it for GCSE (and now A level). When they got to do the sport that he plays for the county the teacher did acknowledge that maybe the setting process hadn't quite worked.🤔

I completely agree - PE at secondary school is viewed with dread by a lot of kids especially those who are not naturally sporty. It’s so odd as in most other ways schools have evolved for the better since my childhood! If PE had not been so grim and more open to supporting children of all abilities at my school I think I would have found running earlier and had a far fitter life overall. I never thought of myself as a runner until my mid 40’s. Now I wouldn’t be without it.

No other subjects are competitive . They want you to do your personal best. My child is not even told other people's marks in subjects like Maths (they may discuss them amongst friends of course).

Life is not competitive. Some people compete but most workplaces want collaborative peope, not competitive people.

@carefullycourageous I agree - I teach and my classes aren’t competitive! I do lots of little knowledge tests etc but they’re for the students only. Students might compete with each other but that’s their choice. As a department we don’t do competitions, prizes, or awards other than after they’ve finished the course. Everyone is treated on their own merits.