If our kids are so fat why don't they do p.e. every day ?

[DefNotYummyMummy]

Just wondering. I guess they don't have enough time ? I went to an international school in the Philippines and we did double p.e. every day. I loved it. Not everyone did, but it got us all moving.

I suspect there is an expectation that they will be running around in the playground at breaktime...

Because the primary curriculum is overcrowded and the weather in Britain means that most PE lessons have to take place indoors for a large part of the year. So trying to find enough hall time for 7 classes (supposing single form entry without nursery) daily would be a logistical nightmare.

Sorry but why is it up to the school to ensure kids aren't over weight. maybe its the parent who need to do something about it!

defnotyummymummy - where did you study in Philippines? Im half Fili... Glad you enjoyed PE! You should visit Philippines during xmas time and new year! Celebrate new year with a big bang!

Obviously it's up to the parents but also I couldn't believe the first day of school when they had burger and chips and crumble and custard for dessert !

No wonder our kids are fat if they are feeding them that crap.My son got a tummy ache because he's not used to eating that much and now he's refused to have school dinners.

Anyway, just thought p.e. once a week isn't enough. Maybe our children would be better at international sport if we started them early in football, athletics, swimming, tennis for example.

No time in the school day and no playing fields to do the sport in.

pinayangel0912 - I studied in Manila, but I lived in Los Banos, Laguna at the International Rice Research Institute.

Best years of my life ! 1982-1987.

Because it's not up to schools to deal with every problem in our society.

There are leisure centres, swimming pools, loads of after school activity clubs (all cheap in my area), parks, low-fat/healthy/ family cook books for sale or free from the library.

It's best for everyone to get a variety of exercise. DD and I walk to school; she takes her skipping rope for playtime; I go and have lunch with her and take her to the park; and then we walk to her after school activity (which might be ballet or tennis or gym) and walk home. During the holidays she does intensive sports courses. Etc.

School sports are ideal, but never enough IMO.

Activity levels for kids have not changed much over the years - calorie intake has, for some kids. Kids are fat becuase they eat too much and for the most part that's food given to them by their parents, school dinners are very strictly regulated.

Firstly it isn't the schools responsibility, parents should be ensuring their children eat good heathly food and get exercise. Exercise doesn't cost a penny.

My experience of the provision of sport/pe in primary schools is that this is shocking. Only state schools keep children in because it is raining, private school children are outside everyday rain or shine.

Its not the schools job to make sure children have excercise every day

If our kids are so fat, why do we feed them so appallingly? cereal, apparently has to be chocolate coated or it isn't appealing.

or so says an acqaintance of mine with an appallingly fat 6 year old.

"Werllll, she's go to have something in the mornings, hasn't she?"

Um.

I don't think 'something' is better than nothing unless a child is very underweight. If a child is too fat and refuses to eat something perfectly appetising, that child is not in need of food. So don't offer anything else.

Apparently, accordiing to many parents, this is 'cruel'.

I've also noticed that a small investment in your DCs' sporting skills can have really big returns. DD does rhythmic gymnastics once a week - she has been taught to skip with a skipping rope (in one lesson) and is now streets ahead of her peers who haven't had any training. And so she runs around with her skipping rope much more than all the others!

I hated pe at school ..I was skinny as a rake though

iloverainbows I don't know many state schools that keep children in because it's raining but it's pretty difficult to play ball games in a gale or athletics when up to the ankles in mud and last years snow and ice wasn't exactly sporting weather in any sector

Interestingly studies have shown that despite children at private schools doing an hour of organaised activity everyday - they are not more active than their State school peers who are more active after school.

I would prefer it if the school taught my dc to read, write, and count.

Ummm... 25 hours teaching time. Take off 15 hours ICT, literacy and numeracy and give an hour for PE everyday....

You're left with 5 hours for science (core subject), RE (mandatory), music, humanities, PSHE, handwriting, guided reading, assembly, morning play.... not forgetting French in KS2!

Playtime and morning play alone would eat up 3h 20m of that 5 hours!

'Activity levels for kids have not changed much over the years'

wrong wrong wrong wrong.Where on earth have you got that from!

Schools do need to take more responsibility for children's activity, particularly in winter when it is dark at 4.

It's not once a week though is it?
DD has it x3

It's not the schools responsibility. Parking a little away from school, have a kick about on way home etc. all help when there isn''t hours of sunshine after school.

'Activity levels for kids have not changed much over the years'

wrong wrong wrong wrong.Where on earth have you got that from!

From the EarlyBird Diabetes Trust...where do you get your information from?

Excess Adrenaline is correct. Studies also show that increasing the amount of school PE makes no difference at all to children's weight or activity levels. The more they do at school, the more inactive they are out of it. School PE is a waste of children's time, in my opinion. I think they should be learning, then playing.