Primary school - is dance an appropriate substitute for P.E? I think not.....

[Nixz]

I have just took DD's P.E kit out of her school bag and she has not worn it AGAIN! It has been in her bag for 2 weeks. I ask her if she has done P.E and she replies "No, well, we did dance" and she just took her shoes and socks off.
I was under the impression that primary school children should have 2 sessions of PE a week, surely its not fair that they have to miss out because the teacher decides not to do it! Im quite cross at this - kids love PE

Yes, I think they are supposed to have 2 sessions a week. Give school a ring.

Depends on the activeness of the dancing surely.Dance is actually better than a lot of PE activities as most people can do it and no-one gets left out.
I'd check if the dance was active first.

Maybe I'm being a bit dense but what's the difference? It's still physical exercise isn't it?

Dance is part of the P.E. curriculum. Teacher probably doesn't get them changed because they take soooo long they get less time in the hall for the lesson. Curse that teacher for wanting the children to have more time actually dancing rather than waiting around for archibald to take his trousers off

I think dance is an excellent way to get reluctant girls participating in physical activity.

DD (private schooll, not state) is in reception year and they do have two lots of phsyical exercise a week. One is what I think you mean by PE. The other is ballet. To me it is all exercise and physical stuff, so have no problem. DD loves both.

Dance is part of the National Curriculum for PE I believe.

Dance is on the PE curriculum just like everything else that more readily come to mind. Which would you prefer, she stands for 5 minutes in a line waiting to climb onto a box and jump off, then lines up again, or she is active and engaged for the full lesson? No reason what so ever to phone school for doing what is on the curriculum.

I'd class dance as physical exercise, tbh.

we had dance quite a lot for PE

highland dancing was always done with skirts on

Dance is part of the PE curriculum

I was a dancer for 12 years.

If that's not exercise, I don't know what is.

Personally, I hope we see more activities like this as 'PE' rather than the traditional carp stuff.

DAnce is PE. Face it.

I have no problem with her doing dance, she likes it. They have been doing 'dance' since September though.
I would have thought it would be time for them to have the chance to try something else. Perhaps learn a skill aswell as having fancy footwork

Well I think you'll find Dance is OK. If it is end of term and they all want to just have some fun and not waste time changing...great.

Yes dance is PE, just like place value is Numeracy, but i want my daughter to have a go at something else for a change.

WTF deos state/privat have to do with it??

lol fio

Well they might be working up to something in Dance (a theme). They may do 4 weeks of football next.

Dance for 2 weeks sounds great. I'd hope they do it for more than that.

The reason why I put private is that I now state schools have to follow a set curriculum, whereas private schools have more flexibility. So the "rules" are different IYSWIM. Wasn't starting some private v state thingy off!

According to my DD, her dance sessions consist of sliding on the floor and reaching up to the sky. I asked if she had music, she said no. I asked if she got tired, she said no it was boring.
Im not being critical of the curriculum, im merely saying, doing dance for 2 piddling sessions a week since september is not good enough.

Your first post said 2 weeks.

She has done dance since September.

DS had a 2 week contemporary dance programme but that was on top of the weekly 1 session gymnastics, 1 session PE, and 10 mins in-class physical exercise per day