Make Physical Education Physical Education for all

[GeekLove]

There has been a spate of threads about PE in schools and in this age of obesity and childhood ill health, getting children, particularly girls and those from ethnic minorities interested in participating in physical exercise is more important than ever.

[[http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/2537646-PE-memories?pg=11 thread 1]]

[[http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/2543383-How-do-I-deal-with-this-bullying-PE-teacher?pg=5 thread 2]]

I and others are hoping that MNHQ would be interested in supporting a campaign to put pressure on the current state of physical education teaching and to ensure that PE teaching is fit for purpose.

However, it seems that PE teaching hasn't moved with the times. Even a [[https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/413187/Beyond_2012_-_outstanding_physical_education_for_all.pdf recent report from 2012]] highlighted the issue that although participation is reasonably good at primary school level, enthusiasm and participation fall off significantly, particularly for girls.

Our main concerns is that PE teaching methods have not moved on significantly compared with other subjects and are not inclusive. The main issues are:

• Lack of coaching and instruction on how run, jump, catch balls, gymnastics, strength training and on good form to prevent injury.

• Over reliance on team games, particularly at secondary school. Issues with this include lack of coaching on rules, allowing pupils to pick teams and no allowances being made for ability.

• One size fits all type of coaching. No allowances made for pupils at different stages of physical development, but all are supposed to do certain activities such as hurdles or high jump before they are able. This can also be an issue at primary school when many girls start menstruating by yrs 5 and 6.

• Inadequate sports kit is regularly cited as a negative factor, especially for girls. It is well known that not wearing warm clothes when exercising in cold conditions is more likely to lead to injury. PE kit should ideally be non gender specific and sports crop tops mandatory for girls to ensure comfort and modesty when exercising.

•Lack of time making it difficult for pupils to change ans ensure adequate time for a lesson, particularly for swimming.

•Lack of knowledge with respect to physical conditions such as dyspraxia, hypermobility and poor inclusion of children with disabilities. PE is crucial to children with physical disabilities but far too many are still excluded from mainstream PE.

This is by no means a complete list but if we are to raise children from all backgrounds to have a healthy, active lifestyle it is critical to ensure that good quality PE teaching is available to all. It is not enough to reserve PE for the talented pupils.

One solution is that schools that are models of good practice when considering inclusivity and retention, to help set the standard for other schools to follow, for example. We hope to demonstrate that we on Mumsnet want to be active participants in raising healthy, physically active children.

I agree totally demntedma

Agree.

Can I add individual changing cubicles for all. Communal changing rooms should be scrapped, they're perfect stamping grounds for bullies and Queen Bee's.

It seems like this is rather ignoring the elephant in the room given the massive threat to women's sports at the moment. Another one who would rather put energy into the trans issue, sorry.
And wtf re the crop tops?!

I think the transwomen competing against genetic women is a bit of a dead cat for this discussion as it only affects a fraction of the people that PE lessons affect.

As for inclusion, I was a perfectly physically fit girl at secondary school. However I have AS and was a late physical developer.

My PE experience was mixed but coloured by a one size fits all curriculum that did not take into account that you can easily get hight differences of a foot over a single cohort of yr7 girls for instance. Not to mention team games with little in terms of coaching and instruction.

This lead me to be marginalised and I do not do any team based sport as an adult.

If PE can marginalised otherwise completely physically capable children and crush their enthusiasm then there is something deeply wrong.

Because, dementedma, the number of women taking part in serious competitive sport who will be affected by the change in rules about TW competing is tiny. The number of women at additional risk of obesity, cancer, heart disease, dementia, osteoporosis, hip fractures, and lack of independent living in old age as a result of failure to keep fit is enormous.

I'm sympathetic to the campaign on the Olympics rules, but the number of women who are inspired to do sport because of a desire to hit the world/national rankings is a drop in the ocean by comparison with the huge public health improvement potential of getting women to do sports for fun and as a personal challenge. Personally I'd get them all trying Muggle Quidditch.

If PE can marginalise otherwise completely physically capable children and crush their enthusiasm then there is something deeply wrong

Exactly. But I'd argue that everyone is physically able - they just have different physical ability. I often wonder how paraolympians would describe their experiences of PE at school? I wonder how many of them sat in the sidelines whilst the 'sporty children' who the PE teachers seem to home in on we're nurtured and celebrated. And I wonder how many of those 'sporty children' have gone on to play in top teams and be top of their game or the world in their sport?

I work with extremely physically disabled children. Some have very limited movement of an arm, very limited understanding and some have visual and hearing impairments too. They all take part in PE differentiated to meet the needs of the pupils. The most important part is that every child's individual achievements are celebrated - not just those who participate independently and have a talent for the sport.

I have told DS to ask his PE teacher how many other children in his year compete for competive clubs in sport when the teacher calls him a pathetic cry baby and wuss. Ive told him to ask why he thinks PE curriculum sports is more important than other sports for example. But DS won't say boo to a goose so he'll never do it.

Jesus why all the angst over a sports bra. These are the first two images of sports bras on google. They are pretty much elasticated crop tops. Hardly marginalising girls who are flat chested (speaking as someone who IS flat chested and wears one for running).

Lots of girls feel uncomfortable running around in a normal bra. Its uncomfortable, embarrassing to have your tits bouncing all over the place (especially when doing PE on the same field as the boys). Whats the problem with giving all girls a generic sports bra if it goes someway to eliminating the problem?

Re cubicles...they are the perfect bullying ground. Hard to hide from teachers in an open plan changing room. Very easy to do so in cubicles.

The stories of blatant bullying by teachers on this thread is awful. PE needs to change drastically. We recently had a kid from New Zealand come to our school and he was shocked at how little sports/clubs there were to take part in. School pride in sports teams is mainly a private school thing. Girls need to be massively encouraged to take part in as many sports team and individual as they can so that they can ALL find something they enjoy. Shit at netball? maybe you're good at long distance running! Crap at hockey, try swimming instead. Hate swimming, give squash a go!

pe when i was at school was dull, netball, hockey or jumping over a gym horse. the only time it was exciting was when we did rounders in the summer.

Forgot images

What could have been a really interesting debate has been completely sidetracked because of the ridiculous suggestion about making crop tops compulsory.

I think that - if the will and that usually translates into money were there, it would be great to see a major overhaul of the way schools teach physical exercise / access to sport / introducing different sports / encouraging all to participate at their own level. However, I think this is something that does vary from school to school. My dc have done quite a carousel of different sports at school, which weren't available when I was at school, including use of a 'multi-fitness room' (gym) at school.

this is something that does vary from school to school

my girls go to a smallish inner city comp with no big focus on sports/pe

they profess to be 'shit at PE' as I was, and yet their experience is comPLETEly different from mine- I hated it and would do anything to avoid it, they love it and do it at lunchtimes and after school

main differences between their PE and mine 30 years ago- they do loads of mixed sports with the boys (I would have guessed this would be offputting, but who knows), they do a huge range of stuff and- this might well be the most important thing- they love their PE teacher

so some schools are getting it right- I'll ask dds more about it tomorrow

I think the transwomen competing against genetic women is a bit of a dead cat for this discussion as it only affects a fraction of the people that PE lessons affect.

Really? Do you think so?

And scrap the sports bra idea its a complete red herring.

YES they should be recommended but making them mandatory is absurd. One of my dds didn't need a bra at all until she was in year 9 and a nike sports bra would have been overkill, most of them don't even come in an AA!! She qualified and ran at the National Schools Cross Country Champs in a polo shirt and a pair of tiny running shorts. It snowed. She was fine To be honest a pair of running gloves and decent running shoes were more important than a bra at that stage.

In contrast, dd2 has developed much earlier and does wear the mythical crop top. I think they would both find it a bit EW if their PE teachers started on at them about sports bras. Plus some girls would really jump on it and parents would complain etc etc

Banning those horrific flat ballet shoe type school shoes and making decent trainers mandatory would probably do more to help girls to be active. The problems I see are feet rather than boobs.

LOADS of kids like PE

Tons of them. Lots of schools are getting it right.

Yes campaign for kids with physical challenges to be offered more specialised sport but please leave team sports and schools PE alone for those who actually enjoy it - quite a lot amazingly.

Only on mumsnet do people hate PE so much - dare I say the women who don't spend much time on internet forums are probably more active and positive about PE than the Mumsnet crew I don't think it is at all representative of the real world

Mumsnet echo chamber..

Yyy Briss. I was crap at PE. Dreaded it. All my kids have taken after me in terms of their ability quite frankly but somehow they adore school PE. Dd comes last at Sports Day with a huge smile on her face. Their current school has a fabulous PE teacher who is very popular. It's like another world!

Re Olympics and role models, dd made a big collage of Jessica Ennis pictures. She's not under any illusions that she can be an athlete, nor does she want to, but the positive image of a woman in sport have meaning for her and affect her attitude to it. I hate this assumption that sporting heroes are only relevant to people who compete - it's elitist and simply wrong imo.

I think Jess Ennis has been a tremendous role model for all women and girls. Of course you don't have to be an elite athlete to appreciate her.

I love and adore Emma Thompson despite the fact I cannot act for toffee.

It's good that some schools are getting it right - the aim of this is that good practice can be shared and put into practise elsewhere. But there is still a long way to go before we can say it is as inclusive as it could be.

My boys are NT and let us say not particularly gifted at sport. They go to a well-resourced school that insists on PE to the end of sixth form. Sport is streamed to an extent, I'm not exactly sure how.

Now that they are old enough for rugby and cross country not to be compulsory, they quite enjoy what they do. There is enough of an element of choice for them to find something they like well enough, and there are activities that are not traditional team games - swimming, rounders, multi gym, badminton, frisbee, Zumba (though attended I am told exclusively by girls), orienteering. One of them likes hockey and lacrosse.

PE can work, but it needs to be well resourced and handled with an acceptance that the boys on the maths team (yup...) may not be as skilled at it as the boys on the rugby team. Activity for health, recognition for improvement. And no sneering.

Schools accept that not all are as good as one another at academic subjects. There needs to be a genuine acceptance of this in physical activity as well. I was shit at school sport, but as an adult I have attended loads of aerobics classes and now run, slowly but regularly.

I am an AA cup even as an adult and I think the crop top as standard PE kit under a shirt is an excellent idea.

My DC love and excel at PE.

Their school outsource the whole of PE to an outside company. They are beyond fantastic. Enthusiastic, knowledgable and massively inclusive of all kids. They even do circus skills!

pantone that soudns like a great idea!