A parliamentary debate was held on Education Secretary Michael Gove's controversial £162m cuts to school sports funding in England last week. The decision to end ringfenced funding for sport in schools threatens to jeopardise the existence of extra-curricular sports clubs and the number of trained physical education (PE) teachers and sports coaches in schools. How will these funding cuts affect PE lessons and how do young people feel about it?
Start a discussion about PE and sports lessons in schools. Do young people participate in PE lessons? What types of activities are on offer? Do young people enjoy them? Are PE lessons perceived by children and young people as a valuable part of the curriculum? Are they seen as a way of improving young people's fitness? Do young people find them physically challenging? Or are PE lessons considered easy?
A recent report published by the British Association of Sports and Exercise Medicine (BASEM) criticised the way PE is currently taught in England, claiming that schoolchildren don't get a proper workout during PE lessons. It said that lessons too often concentrate on teaching sports skills, and as a result, children and young people are less likely to improve their agility, personal strength and co-ordination. Do young people agree? Do PE lessons offer mostly team sports? How much of a PE lesson is actually spent moving and being active, compared to listening to the teacher? Do young people think that PE lessons provide them with proper exercise? Do PE lessons always involve all pupils?
BASEM recommends introducing a "five-in-five" approach to lessons, which challenges children to do five different exercises in five minutes. Do young people think PE lessons should be more focused on their individual fitness? Would the "five-in-five" exercises achieve this? Ask young people how they would improve PE lessons. Consider whether it should be up to the individual school to decide what activities to include in PE lessons.
How might the proposed cuts affect sports provision? What sort of effect could this have on young people's long-term fitness and wellbeing? Will the cuts contribute to higher levels of childhood obesity? How can young people stay active if their schools' sports funding is cut? Is it right to cut sports funding as the country gears up to host the Olympics in 2012? What message does this send to children and young people about the importance of sport?
