PE just as I remember it. What a shame.

[EverythingUnderControl]

The more things change, the more they stay the same...

Apparently those shining stars of the class still get to choose the teams. Every time. Lesson after lesson after lesson ad infinitum. This actually translates into 'choose all your best mates whilst seizing that irresistible and golden opportunity to publicly exclude anyone not considered A list du jour' in the ever changing and cruel popularity contest that is year 10.

Abusive and insulting comments still bellowed extensively and full blast at anyone perceived not to be performing as required? Of course.

PE teachers tolerating, encouraging and overlooking the above? You bet.

Being given 30 seconds to get changed in a smelly changing room before the wrath of said PE teacher is unleashed? Well it wouldn't be PE without it, would it?

Ah yes, thankfully the awful enforced showers of yore are no more. Well that's something at least, I suppose. I used to have the added humiliation of a communal shower to endure. But many aspects are alive and well 35 years down the line.

Dd (15) told me forlornly that today's PE 'lesson' was all of the above and often is for her. The thing is dd isn't exactly hopeless when it comes to sport but hey, why let a small detail like that get in the way now that she's sunk forever under the PE teacher's benevolent gaze? Her problem here is that she's quiet. Un-pushy. Doesn't stand out where a loud gob is a useful accessory. We don't seem to be able to relate too well to quieter people in PE at our school.

The added irony is that as a family we've always encouraged our dc to be very active by involving them in all kinds of sports. Although unsurprisingly dd is much less keen nowadays. I wondered why, now I guess I know.

Why is PE core subject? Why not let those that so wish just to drop it? They can then avoid the ritual humiliation and leave those that think are god's gift to the world of sport bask in uninterrupted glory without ever having to utter the sneering words 'Oh miss, do I have to be with her..?'

Dd would welcome the chance to go and partake further in any one of the many other lessons she's good at. Lessons that strangely don't involve a teacher who conveniently turns a blind eye to what is little more than a nasty popularity contest with a large dose of humiliation to boot

Ah yes, but the constant message we hear is that sport is good. Desirable for all. So it astounds me that post Olympics when there was so much enthusiasm and bon homie sloshing about, plans for more funding to encourage everyone, (especially for this age group) to get active, join in, be sporty blah blah blah, that this negative aspect persists.

Is this the default for PE at school? Sad if school PE is your main (for some their only) experience of it. If your face doesn't fit you're stuffed.

Hardly an endorsement for an activity that says it wants to be inclusive. The only message dd gets repeatedly is that she must be crap at sport, which clicks the switch firmly off in the 'things I might enjoy' category; probably for years to come.

As a parent I'm often pointing out to dc that school isn't ever going to be a bowl of cherries and that much of what they may dislike about it is frankly tough. Dc know that life isn't always going to be fair, but this disappoints me hugely. Not because it's not fair, but because it's plain mean and because that's exactly how I remember PE at school and I thought - assumed - things surely must have changed and they haven't. Not one iota. Despite all the fanfare and bigging it up in the media and all the famous sports people saying give it a go. It falls at the first hurdle for some kids in the dubious environment of the PE lesson.

I hope there are inspirational, innovative and inclusive teachers of this subject in some quarters. Sadly not for us. Such a shame that sport, at our school anyway, so often struggles to be the most important thing of all: sporting.

I read your OP with some as you describe exactly what I remember, but I was just resigned to it before I even started, I guess. I was fairly sporty at the outset (fast runner, bit discoordinated for anything else) and completely disinclined to get sweaty for anything by the end. I'm pleased DD has dance as part of PE, cos that I always carried on loving, even if DD tells me I am too old to be cool doing it! I would hate to think of DD feeling like this though, especially if it put her off exercise in life generally, but I do think it has to stay on the timetable or they'd just spend their whole time sitting. I will keep an eye on things (new school, no idea if it's like that or not)

My dd was saying they do the team picking and she was picked last just the other day. (She is in Y5 at primary school.)

I think the problem is that in many schools PE is simply a tick box subject. It isnt valued so poor teaching practice is allowed to remain.

You can see that this is the case simply by the inconsistency in provision. If it were valued then there would be far more consistency in approach.

My school's approach to PE was all to do with producing teams to represent the school. It was all about the aggrandisement of the school and nothing to do with the individual students. Students who were good at sport brought honour to the school everyone else was forgettable in terms of sport.

The idea that children should have at least 2hrs PE a week in schools so that they get exercise backfires in later life for many and defeats the object - in a similar way to the fact that warm or frozen bottles of school milk when I was in the infants has meant that I have never drunk milk since.

My DS hated PE even in Primary school as he has ASD and just didn't get the point of many of the sports or the rules. At Secondary school, being subjected to team games such as football and rugby was his idea of hell on earth. But we encouraged him to take up sports that he could enjoy outside of school (swimming, climbing, karate, gym, running - not all at the same time though) and I used to make a point of seeing the PE teacher at parents evening to listen to the tirade of "littlebus stands with his hands in his pockets on the football field" and other such comments and then I would launch into all DSs achievements in sport from outside school.

Whilst I don't think he experienced being deliberately left out like OPs DD, PE lessons were not an enjoyable experience for DS or indeed many others in his class. If this Government wants the nation to get exercising and stay fit and healthy, they need to rethink the whole way that PE lessons are delivered in this country, instead of putting thousands off for life.

I totally agree bigbluebus, in the PE lessons I did and my DCs do I see little thought to teaching skills which will stay with students outside of school. How many adults play teams sports once their school days are over? Some do but the majority do not.

I thought this approach went out with the Charleston! I was always picked towards the end for hockey and netball. I never minded much, though and endeavoured to play on the wing where I could run up and down a lot but generally not have to have anything to do with the ball. Imagine everyone's surprise, though, when I turned out to be REALLY good at badminton -- which I still play today. My DCs, though both active, hate team sports. There must be another way to teach PE.

I totally agree that the current emphasis on team sports and competition in PE lessons is totally out dated and just an excuse for bullying the less popular kids (even those that excel at sports outside of school).

my daughter has just started secondary school and I was so disappointed to find out that PE has changed at all since my school days.

Thread is 11 years old

@EverythingUnderControl my trauma memories of PE include the nasty teacher asking me in front of the whole class whether I had my period because my mum's note said I was "unwell" (in my mum's experience, that was code for women's issues - no further detail required). I also remember being sent out on a 500m run "round the block" on a cold day, coming last, and wheezing badly. It was the first time I'd ever had to do this and we had no preparation for it. The teacher asked "do you have asthma?". I said I didn't know and she laughed at me - so the other kids laughed at me too. (I later found out that exercise-induced asthma is a thing).

These days, I'm a school governor. To manage the teacher shortages that all schools are experiencing, our PE teachers are recruited on the basis that they can teach another subject too, especially maths or science. This is very common now, because there is an over-supply of wannabe PE teachers and an undersupply in other subject areas. I wonder if it will change the nature of PE teachers over time - hopefully for the better.

@ricecrispietrail
This thread is 11 years old , i suspect OP Is long gone!

I was quite impressed at one of the secondary open days I went to where the pe teacher said that some of the girls will always hate team sports and she’s not there to persuade them otherwise but to help them find something they like and will keep them active so there seemed to be options around yoga, walking, Zumba etc as well as the team sports. How true that is in practice I can’t say but I do really hope not all have the experience of the OP’s daughter.

DD left school this year. PE was well run, she was setted as 'bottom' set in yr 7 and stayed there. There were also intermediate and top sets. The bottom set did active things that were also fun, by yrs 10 and 11 there were lots of lessons where they did just dance or capture the flag. And lots of badminton and rounders in the summer. Teachers were encouraging. DD enjoyed it.