So how does PE fail?

I think it is a mistake to separate education from society. High levels of lifestyle related illness does reflect on PE (though not exclusively). This blog really gets to my aversion to PE and schools in general and why I can not in good conscience make my career within them. So repeating the regular results of surveys: 1 out 10 adults exercise sufficiently (taken as 3*20 mins. a week or sufficient activity on most days of the week) and with half not at all. Now it's not just PE, children are transported to schools (80%+) which is much more than twenty years ago (15%) and fewer participating in sports or outside play beyond school time. And to put in perspective for the poor PE staff, nobody takes PE seriously, there are so many more priorities where outside pressure is felt (exam results, few take PE GCSE etc.). Exam time in winter; lets use the sports hall, football in a gale anyone? Some schools have limited facilities to actually do a lesson. There is also a massive variation of experience and ability for secondary schools of the pupils in the first year. PE in primary schools is very hit and miss. Many primary schools do not have a PE specialist or provision of any quality.

The costs of inactivity are immense. You do not work with children or in health to encourage people to die early, and yet Heart Attack, Cancer and Stroke are the highest in the western world. Diabetes is 9% of the total NHS budget (£12.411 billion c.). Sickness is 6.9 days on average per year (How high in teaching? - Shortage of supply teachers!), these of course are the start of a list of financial costs, but pain, illness and longer drawn out terminal illness are felt at least as hard emotionally and physically.

Everybody sees other priorities. Of course many of these are less likely to be successful with unhealthy children and subsequently adults If you want a brain to work it needs a healthy body around it (Mens sana in corpore sano). There is a clear deficit in kinaesthetic and physical world education and experience in all areas of society for all ages.

So I hope costing lots of money, more pain and more death put things in perspective. We choose that as a society (and individuals). So what are the secondary school level problems that need addressing. The first element is using the word education within the title PE. Who learns anything in PE, some schools of course do really well and others are helped by the demographics of the pupils. The first problem is the children who hate PE, they are the opposite to the teachers. They do learn how to avoid participation at all costs. Well that is learning but let's not count it. We have to engage these children. They need a supporting environment and situation. A big issue is the big aggressive children who dominate the smaller and less athletic. Helping children develop skills to improve needs early on, smaller groups in supportive environments. You can not learn when you are trying to avoid getting hurt physically and mentally, under stress. Competition is a major motivator (bigger lads, most able) for some children and a massive de-motivator for others (smaller, less able). The current law of the jungle approach damages and puts off many. The need is both to increase participation in movement activities (broad area, just move!) and aid progress to excellence.

Adding education to PE where skills are developed is another factor. Developing physical skills, being able to move and understand their bodies better. Not just throwing them in at the deep end. Many joint injuries in adulthood are due to bad technique. Manual handling is the classic example being the most common reason for more than 3 days off work. But many people have not just back injuries they have overuse injuries from knees, hips and shoulders, some of these are even aggravated in sports. Many people take up running till the knee pain stops them (you probably learned to run as a 3 year old, so a 3 year old was your teacher!). Even when they exercise, people often do it so badly that it causes problems rather than making them healthy. Knowing how to move but also how to exercise including types and amounts. These are the foundations of physical skills and are essential before moving onto more advanced skills within sport. Trying to compete without solid foundation skills leads to injuries and not playing to the rules in order to win. I have learned a lot about me, in what I can do and what I cannot. I loved Basketball, but vertical challenges get in the way of performance. Learning to get round things where you are at a disadvantage has also been useful.

Play emphasis with guidance is another learning tool for helping learn about themselves and their bodies (kinaesthetic awareness). Increasing enjoyment not prescription from above, encourages participation. Many of these are really needed before in primary school, rather than waiting till 11 years plus. Different activities need to be used to show possibilities and hopefully find an interest with as many children as one can. Not just ‘in at the deep end’ competition.

Keeping participation through life needs easy access, and encouragement. Stopping physical activity as less important for academic or work reasons is a costly choice in the long run. Encouraging an active life for the rest of their lives can only be increased if people enjoy the activities, through just having fun and progressing, while becoming more able.

I count myself lucky that I enjoy moving and activity, it is easy for me to exercise. I continue the habit and still train with people half my age and twice my size (BJJ). And boy do I feel it the next day, that is my age anyway.