PULSE
Changing Hearts and Minds; the challenge of the new curriculum for PE By Sharon Denny
Pulse is extremely proud to welcome Sharon Denny to its writing staff within this edition. Sharon brings with her a wealth of knowledge from her time as a PE advisor for KCC and currently acts as the PE lead for Blueprint Consultancy, advising and training many of Kent’s schools…….
The publication of the new national curriculum for PE in 2013 was a relief to some and a disappointment to others. A cursory look at the new programmes of study suggested little change, with perhaps the most notable difference being the slimmed down content. Yes, there was a bigger emphasis on fundamental movement skills at KS1 and OAA had made it to statutory status in KS2, but otherwise there appeared to be no big revelations.
But a closer look reveals that all is not as it might first appear. The most important thing to understand about the new national curriculum for PE is the driver behind it. For a number of years now, despite all the fantastic work done by school sport partnerships, adult activity levels have been flat-lining and the incidence of obesity (in both adults and children) has continued to rise. In 2013 came the announcement of the new PE premium funding for primary schools – money that was ring-fenced for PE and sport and came with the expectation that schools would impact on health by increasing physical activity levels for their pupils.
It seems strange then, that one of the most notable omissions from the new PE Programmes of Study is the ‘knowledge and understanding of fitness and health’. Surely this should be a focus? A quick look at the ‘aims’ section of the new curriculum and suddenly, all becomes clear! We are no longer expected to teach children to know and understand about healthy, active lifestyles; one of the key aims of the PE curriculum is to ensure that children lead healthy, active lifestyles.
The new curriculum is, fundamentally, about broadening participation, because this is the essential first step in achieving the government’s goals of increasing physical activity levels in order to bring about health benefits and creating an environment in which talent can thrive. A look at the other key aims of the curriculum emphasises this focus;
To ensure that all pupils
develop competence to excel in a broad range of physical activities
are physically active for sustained periods of time
12 The Kent & Medway School Sports Magazine
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