Thursday 03 July 2014

By Matthew Holehouse, Political Correspondent9:29PM BST 01 Jul 2014

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Children as young as five will take part in rigorous new PE lessons, in amove ministers hope will instil the values of teamwork, self-discipline andresilience.

New funding will double the number of specialist PE teachers working inprimary schools.

The move will help instil a life-long love of sport in children, ministershope.

By next September 240 “high calibre” graduates will work in primaryschools to coach traditional sports such as cricket and hockey, alongsidemore modern pursuits such as rock-climbing.

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PE lessons to be re-energised to spread a love of sportMinisters hope to instil the values of teamwork, self-discipline and resilience with newrigorous PE lessons

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A new report said that children's education was poorer if they were deprived of the chance to compete Photo: Alamy

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Ministers hope the move will improve children’s concentration, mood andclassroom behaviour.

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It comes amid concerns that competitive sports are becoming thepreserve of privileged children attending private schools.

Primary school teachers are usually generalists, and cover a wide rangeof subjects during their training. However, the new teachers will spendhalf of their training period focussed on PE.

Candidates will be expected to have a degree in sport of “high personalachievement” in sporting pursuits. Some £360,000 of governmentfunding will be set aside for the training.

It will lead to children developing a “lasting love of sport” rather thanmerely showing an interest during the World Cup and Wimbledon,ministers hope.

The announcement comes just weeks after Ofsted warned that too manypupils are being denied the chance to take part in competitive sport bystate schools who treat it as an "optional extra".

In a new report, it said children's education was poorer if they weredeprived of the chance to compete.

The inspectorate's report also highlighted concerns that top athletes insome sports are still more likely to come from private schools rather thanthe state sector.

Edward Timpson, the children’s minister, said: "PE teaching is a specialistrole and deserves bespoke support. PE specialists are vital to reallyembedding sporting expertise in schools, as well as giving children everychance of developing a sporting habit for life.

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• Reply •

piqueaboo • a day

ago

"Rigorous" is the new "token gesture" i.e. wherever you see it you can bet whatever they're talking about is some ineffective drop in what istypically the wrong ocean.

They will:

"coach traditional sports such as cricket and hockey, alongside more modern pursuits such as rock-climbing.

Traditional team sports leave a lot of children standing about for most of the time getting very little exercise.

More modern pursuits like rock-climbing can be a bit elusive because you need a venue etc. and assuming their insurance runs to under-eightyear-olds it will likely end up costing the parents at least as much as the school swimming. [We had to make 'voluntary contributions' forswimming that cost more than the price of much better lessons at the local swimming pool.]..

1

• Reply •

Guardianista • a day

ago

In order to be successful in sport, others have to fail. It's great for the winners and they'll go on about how wonderful sport is and what it'sgiven them, but spare a thought for those not born with the talent for sport, but are forced to do it by their school.

We don't make our kids compete in beauty contests (another activity where genetics plays a bigger role than anything else) at school, sowhy make them compete in sports?

And if it was about fitness and tackling childhood obesity then it would be far better to have the kids run round a track for the duration of thePE lesson. When I was at school most of the 1 hour PE lesson was spent: getting changed, getting organised into about 6 teams withwhatever equipment was needed for the game, listening to the PE teacher, watching other teams play because there's only one hockeypitch. In total we got about 10 minutes exercise from that 1 hour slot.

3

Reply

emilia • 2 days

ago

When will these people learn that you CANNOT make people competitive, and you CANNOT make people like sport. It is NOT good for body,soul or morale. People who like running about will run about,whether or not they have a ball to chase with a bit of stick. People who haterunning about will learn to lie, hide and skive, which are probably more useful skills in life than being able to catch. who becomes a PE teacher (in their nice warm tracksuit while the children cower in aertex and knickers in the sleet), they would be moresuited to being traffic wardens. And don't even mention the communal showers - what percentage of children enjoy those? (Probably theones who will grow up to be PE teachers or axe-murderers).How is it that people are allowed to be 'elite' in sport but not in anything academic, where competition is positively frowned on? Reverse thoseattitudes and the country might improve.

3

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• Reply • 3

• Reply •

Guardianista • 2 days

ago emilia

Totally agree, and in my experience sport obsessed people are really boring people - their only subject of conversation is 'their sport' -you go to their house and see nothing but trophies on their shelves, photos of themselves, and the only books they have are abouttheir sport. They are not well-rounded individuals at all.

3

• Reply •

Usawme • 2 days

ago

Just get school children running around a field in all weathers.

Get them out of gyms and cosy warm zones ... Show them they can do most things in all weathers, and benefit from the results!

When they have coped with that for a week or so, then introduce different height hurdles, then when they have coped with that introduceanother type of dirt ... sand and the long jump.

Introduce children to throw balls outside in fields , soft balls small balls , larger balls then hard balls .

Introduce all children of different ages to the handling and feel of rackets, cricket bats , rounders tennis bats etc..

Show EVERY CHILD that they are capable and stronger than they think , and show them what FUN ball games and 1

• Reply •

fathersuperior • 2 days

ago

The Tories exceed even Blair's pseudo-Labourites in their compulsion to play with our minds. "Instil" be damned.Let's call it what it is: "indoctrination". Along with a love for all sorts of sexual perversions, a delight in the mockery of marriage; a suicidal tolerance of race replacement, a supportfor culture displacement, and of course, a collective adoration of the hereditary position of Head of State - no matter how useless, howinconsequential in truth, the incumbent.All these things can be "instilled" in our tiny 5-year old children.

• Reply •

Physiocrat • 2 days

ago

A bit of stretching and running around is no bad thing but the underlying problem is too little time exercising in normal daily activities such aswalking or cycling from A to B, and going up stairs.

• Reply •

0dds • 2 days

ago

In a long career in teaching, I have never known a school that did not do PE lessons with infant children. 1

• Reply •

fathersuperior • 2 days

ago

As for my PT teacher at school, the creature was a borderline psychopath. He indulged the most exquisite sadistic tendencies, and excelledat the art of public humiliation of kids who simply were n't cut out for the mindless, witless, asinine nonsense he thought was so important -kids who could out-think him, out-speak him, out-write him, and who would turn out to be far, far better, far more rounded and betterintegrated human beings than my PT teacher ever was. Despite everything he did to them.Compulsory PT is a typical Gove initiative: the Nerd's revenge on school kids everywhere - starting with tiny, innocent 5-year olds.The idea is outrageous, the product of a diseased and warped mind.

2

• Reply •

superchemist • 2 days

ago fathersuperior

As I asked Cardinalpugwash (below): were you at school with me? This is a perfect discription of the PE staff at my school in the 60s.If most PE teachers had a quarter of a brain they would be more dangerous than they are already.

1

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• Reply •

Physiocrat • 2 days

ago fathersuperior

Funny we had a couple of PT teachers who were borderline psychopaths. 1

• Reply •

charlescawley • 2 days

ago

A large number of people are bored to tears about this endless moralizing about sport. and far and that is not just a matter of fittness.

Constant lectures about the wonder of sport are irritating, patronising and marginalize us. the quasi religious pontificating about its wonders just drives us away.

Millions are also bored to death about sport on TV. Running races and getting medals prancing around draping flags all over the place isprimitive. Better it were left for schools.

6

• Reply •

emilia • 2 days

ago charlescaw ley

Sport should be for consenting adults in private. Children should only be allowed to indulge if they really, really want to.Would anything but sport be permitted to change TV schedules without notice, close roads for up to 10 hours, cancel buses, closelibraries and shops etc like this wretched bicycle-fest to which so many of us are to be subject?

• Reply •

Physiocrat • 2 days

ago charlescaw ley

It is nonsense. You don't need to excel at sport to get enough exercise to keep fit. A brisk daily walk with your dog will do. 1

• Reply •

charlescawley • 2 days

ago Physiocrat

I did not say that it was impossible to keep fit in other ways. I said that fittness does not mean that you can be good atsport. You also need natural gifts.

Where did you get the idea that I said otherwise? And how does it negate or address the point?

• Reply •

Physiocrat • 2 days

ago charlescaw ley

I was agreeing with you. I share your views 100%. 2

• Reply •

charlescawley • 2 days

ago Physiocrat

Sorry. Brain on holiday.

• Reply •

superchemist • 2 days

ago charlescaw ley

I could not agree more. 3

Q46 • 2 days

ago

I wonder if any of these clowns have any understanding of Human nature and that not everyone likes or wants the same things, so 'instil'becomes 'forced'.

So let's make a list of 'things we wish to instil' in the population so we can start the indoctrination process at age five.

List

Dear Leader worship.Workers control the means of production.Selfless labour for the benefit of the collective.Party before self.

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• Reply •

Party before self.EU ra, ra, ra.

Add your own here.

Can we also have camps where we can send politicians and other busybody groups who want to micromanage our lives, where it can beinstilled into them to leave us alone?

4

• Reply •

David Anderson • 2 days

ago

"Ministers hope to instil the values of teamwork, self-discipline and resilience with..."

I wonder how many, if any, ministers sitting in their Whitehall offices ever have those "flash of inspiration" moments where they think "Wait aminute. How the Dickens did we get into a position where deciding how to instill values of teamwork, self-discipline and resilience into thenation's school-children became my task?" (And of those who do, how many regret it?).

A country where central government has grown to this extent ought to be found only in a dystopian novel about some imaginary regime runby lunatics with names with no vowels in them.

5

• Reply •

steveten • 2 days

ago

Sport: the modern day opium of the people. 6

• Reply •

iris • 2 days

ago steveten

Life was made for enjoyment, not being depressed complaining about the amount of fun other people have. 1

• Reply •

steveten • 2 days

ago iris

Who was complaining about fun? It is the mind-numbed banality and cynicism of commercial sport, and its use by people suchas Gove to breed conformity that I am concerned about.

4

• Reply •

cooperative5 • 2 days

ago

Why not four or six? 2

• Reply •

why_me • 2 days

ago

Some £360,000 of government funding will be set aside for the training. - Hardly a footballer amount is it?

Rigorous and competitive might appeal to the back-to-the-imagined-golden-past thinkers , but it's not likely to be a motivator. Many obeseBrits are products of 50s 60s and 70s schools, so the good ole days didn't do so well getting people of the start line.

I enjoy sports like swimming, jogging and tour-cycling, and I am very fit at nearly 60. But it has more to do with the high quality of facilities Ihave enjoyed since leaving England many years ago. I live in a city with 3 Olympic swimming pools. £360k - yeah right!

3

• Reply •

fathersuperior • 2 days

ago

All that PT did for me at school was instil a lifelong hatred of PT. What does PT have to do with the love of sport?If you are a sports lover by temperament, you dont need that love to be "instilled". If you hate sports, PT will only reinforce that loathing.

I loathed PT at school, but I went on to love fencing, tennis, running, climbing, sailing, riding, and working out in the gym.I assure you that none of these was the consequence of the ghastly compulsory PT periods I had to endure at school.

17

• 2 days

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• Reply •

Graham Barker ago

The emphasis needs to be on enjoying physical activity, not necessarily becoming skilled at it. In many cases qualified PE teachers are theworst people to teach PE.

7

• Reply •

Physiocrat • 2 days

ago Graham Barker

Mine were mostly psychopaths or worse. 1

• Reply •

Q46 • 2 days

ago Graham Barker

How do you make somebody enjoy something they don't like?

Normally the hardest thing with children is to get them to stop doing the things they like and concentrate on stuff less appealing butmore important.

How would you 'emphasise' to somebody who likes cricket but not Rugby they should enjoy it, or somebody who hates wine theyshould like it?

You do know, do you, that Fascism which allegedly was defeated in 1945, among other things is about a group of people deciding forsociety what wholesome pastimes are, how they should live their lives, how society should be structured, what the model citizenshould be?

The Fascists were big on physical exercise, fit in body, fit in mind, tired in body, mind too tired to resist the propaganda.

As I enter the seventh decade of my life on this Planet, I find it more and more hard to distinguish the behaviour of Governments insocieties which are supposedly 'democratic' and those which are not.

2

• Reply •

iris • 2 days

ago

You people are amazing, any time the government tries a new initiative to improve things you all come with your negative vitriol, as if youhave any better ideas. I applaud these measures and hope they get our nations children fit.

2

• Reply •

Physiocrat • 2 days

ago iris

Yes but they won't. The way to get the nation's children fit is to feed them properly and then make sure they have enough exercisein the course of their daily routines.

2

• Reply •

charlescawley • 2 days

ago Physiocrat

Absolutely. 1

• Reply •

Q46 • 2 days

ago iris

And you are one of those who say: "Let me explain. Shut up!"

Not everyone agrees on what 'will improve things' and are allowed to say so... it's that annoying democracy and freedom thing... andmany people understand that the 'initiatives' are impractical and just crowd pleasers and a waste of taxpayers' money anddiversionary tactics to move attention away from what the idiots in charge should be doing but are incompetent to do.

• Reply •

iris • 2 days

ago Q46

I'm one of those who says let me explain. shut up? what does that even mean?

charlescawley • 2 days

ago iris

I'll bet you you were one of the lucky ones who won races and lorded it over normal people. who run 300 yards and feel their lungs burn... however fit they are.

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• Reply •

who run 300 yards and feel their lungs burn... however fit they are.

• Reply •

iris • 2 days

ago charlescaw ley

No i wasn't, i was one if those who enjoyed sport. I don't understand why people on this forum have to be so rude. 1

• Reply •

charlescawley • 2 days

ago iris

Because we have been put throught the wringer by sport fanatics and treated with gross disrespect because we werenot born lucky enough to win races, get medals or be generally, apparently, morally superior specimens.

There's nothing wrong with competition and winners. But there is something very nasty with those who allege or implymoral superiority; and this does happen..

1

• Reply •

deedee2 • 2 days

ago iris

Schools are having their curricula overloaded with political initiatives as they are ever used to cure the ills of society. So pupils will school knowing everything about gay marriage, contraception, racial equality, citizenship and with a love of sport, as for being highlyliterate and numerate, we shall continue to be in the world third division.

5

• Reply •

GazzaPax • 2 days

ago

Starting at 5, rigorous PE lessons. Then at 6, remove all sense of competition, by eliminating team games, and focus upon throwing orkicking a ball to one another. Everyone's a winner!

2

• Reply •

berrybush • 2 days

ago

I had rigorous PE lessons at my private school. Up by 6.30 and running round the field before breakfast, every afternoon one sport oranother plus lessons in the gym. PE lessons were so competitive that anyone like me who was not the fastest shouted at never mind how much I tried. I started to hate PE lessons and by the time I was 11, I would do anything to get out of it. As anadult I love hiking over the hills and a good ramble but any sport, watching or participating, has been well and truly banished in my life.

14

• Reply •

Physiocrat • 2 days

ago berrybush

Useful immunisation, then!

• Reply •

mrmipps • 2 days

ago

When I was 5 in 1951, we had rigorous PE lessons and taught to swim, by age 11 I was a competent swimmer and OK at football, rugbyand cricket. What has happened since?

2

• Reply •

Q46 • 2 days

ago mrmipps

What has happened since?

Makework.

A lot of people boosted into positions of authority and influence who have nothing to do, want to keep their nicely paid jobs in thewarm and dry, with good pensions and perks by creating non-problems and then dream up initiatives and programmes to solve themwhilst the taxpayer pays for it.

charlescawley • 2 days

ago mrmipps

Good stuff. What I hate is the quasi religious nature of moralizing by Sport fanatics and, in my case, the fact that my lungs burnt

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• Reply •

after 300 yards of running however fit I was where peers could run for miles. Nothing wrong with this. superiority or something special in those born lucky.

1

• Reply •

cardinalpugwash • 2 days

ago

Does the UK have enough muscle-bound, meat-headed, pig-ignorant, half-witted sociopathic scum to fill this alleged need for 'specialist' PEteachers?

8

• Reply •

Physiocrat • 2 days

ago cardinalpugwash

Undoubtedly. In parliament, too. 1

• Reply •

cardinalpugwash • a day

ago Physiocrat

Absolutely in parliament.

• Reply •

superchemist • 2 days

ago cardinalpugwash

Were you at school with me? 1

• Reply •

fathersuperior • 2 days

ago cardinalpugwash

Other than your use of the name "scum", I would agree wholeheartedly with your post. 2

• Reply •

cardinalpugwash • a day

ago fathersuperior

"scum" probably was a bit on the crisp side.

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