Setting for PE

7 replies

Hoaz · 22/02/2013 15:17

DS1 is in year 7.

He's not a sporty boy, but he is fit and active. After the first half term in secondary school, they were put into sets based on their performance in 6 weeks of football. He is very bad a football and is in the bottom set (six sets)

Since then they have done other sports which he enjoys more. e.g. badminton he easily wins every game, cross country, finished first from his set and 21st in the school (140 boys) swimming, first in the set again and top twenty in the school.

So, he's not the best, unlikely to represent the school, but he's not that bad.

He's enjoying PE and his successes, but I do feel he could be better if he had a bit more competition. Does it matter?

OP posts:

creamteas · 22/02/2013 15:34

Does your DS want a sports-related a career?

If not, does it matter if he is not making progress as long as he is active and happy?

Original poster

Hoaz · 22/02/2013 15:42

He's 11, I have no idea what his career might be. I certainly didn't end up doing what I thought I wanted to do when I was 11. Seems a bit early to be closing doors and shouldn't he be aiming to be the best he can be, regardless of future job prospects?

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creamteas · 22/02/2013 16:00

I'm all for doing the best you can at academic subjects, but I never worried about areas such as PE, music, art etc. Inevitably, unless you have a particular talent or interest these will be dropped when DC choose their options for GCSE.

I would never support bad behaviour or anything like that, but didn't worry if they were not really putting a lot of effort into them.

One of my DS used to win medals at swimming at county level, but he was still in the bottom sets for PE. This didn't matter to me or him either. He wasn't really interested in the sports on offer in school, and what happened in PE made no difference in his sport.

CarrotsAreNotTheOnlyVegetables · 22/02/2013 16:05

I'm a bit at a school that sets for PE anyway, especially based on just one sport.

Do they really NEED to be setted for this??

Original poster

Hoaz · 22/02/2013 16:14

I felt like that initially carrots, but he does mean he's able to enjoy sport without ridicule from the boys sport really matters to iyswim

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MakeMineALargeRose · 22/02/2013 22:50

I wish they'd have set pe when I was at school, I was always one of the last to be picked for teams and it really knocked my confidence, I just wasn't sporty at all and would have mabey enjoyed it more if I was in a smaller group with other kids who weren't great either. Although these days I don't think they put kids through the weekly humiliation of picking teams, and the teacher we had was a right old bag who seemed up get a kick out of embarrassing the none sporty kids.

gazzalw · 23/02/2013 14:14

I'm a bit about it too. At DS's super-selective they get a grade for PE - not sports, just PE. I personally don't think it's very encouraging for the boys who are not naturally sporty. It does nothing to boost their confidence!

DS, loves sports even if he's not terribly skilled (but he's better I would vouch than either DW or I were at his age), but thus far has managed two Ds (his lowest mark!).

He will be marked on badminton this term and has high hopes he might get a B, as his skills lie with small 'ball'/racket type games rather than gymnastics/swimming, but I think he might be being wildly optimistic.

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