FEATURE FOCUS: TACKLING STUDENT OBESITY


habits for life, that are born out of engagement in early-years settings. We must do more to meet the needs of young people and offer solutions to overcome socio-economic factors, such as poor diet and lack of understanding of how to keep healthy. Children need to be active not just in physical


education and sports, but during lunch hours, through after-school activities, and via active classroom environments.


Embed an active day into the timetable The Government Childhood Obesity Plan has set out the ambition for all children to achieve one hour of physical activity every day, with schools being responsible for delivering 30 of these active minutes. In response to this, the Youth Sport Trust has developed Active 30:30 to help schools reduce sedentary behaviour and increase physical activity in young people outside of timetabled


curriculum PE. Active 30:30 also helps schools address how to influence the other 30 active minutes to be achieved outside of school by engaging families, clubs and community groups.


Invest in teacher training Our research shows, primary teachers currently receive an average of just six hours of initial teacher training in Physical Education. Upskilling your workforce is a vital way to best make use of the Primary PE and Sport Premium funding. We’re seeing that there are fewer, and fewer, teachers delivering Physical Education as the tendency to replace or displace teachers with coaches has become all too common practice through the Primary PE and Sport Premium. There are new and exciting approaches to the development of Physical Literacy and the teaching of Physical Education for example the Youth Sport Trust’s Start to Move and TOP PE programmes. These are engaging and powerful for classroom teachers, and we urge schools to build capacity within rather than out-source provision. Equally, if you only have one PE lead within


your school, we also suggest investing in your lunchtime helpers and teaching assistants to ensure children are reached across the school day.


Secondary Schools Our recent research on ‘PE Provision in Secondary Schools’ has shown that time on the curriculum for Physical Education is being squeezed. We understand the pressure that secondary schools are facing to achieve in other core subjects and the effect this is having on the provision of high quality PE opportunities for young people. This research highlights the need for PE to be more widely valued and promoted in the curriculum by both senior leaders and the government to ensure young people, teachers and parents are fully aware of the wide-ranging benefits of an active healthy lifestyle on learning as well as wellbeing.


Best practice One of our member schools, King Alfred Academy, Oxford has introduced a sport bucket list for its students. The school’s justification for using a bucket list comprising 52 mini challenges for students to progress throughout the year, is so that they develop a lifestyle choice that can be continued into adulthood – rather than as a “one off”. The list was created by the school’s highly


effective and passionate PE Change Team formed of students from Year 7 to 10. According to Matthew Bowler, director of


April 2018


physical education at King Alfred’s, “Getting the pupils’ feedback and asking them to consult their peers and discuss various activities as a group, has ensured the bucket list really matters to them. It can be completed within lessons and outside the classroom and is inclusive – captivating a wide range of interest, activities and personality traits.” The bucket list contains areas of physical


activity, leadership, officiating, use of technology, volunteering within the community, participation in competitive sport as well as choosing healthier lifestyle choices.


Take a targeted approach to reaching the least active It is proven that girls are less likely to take part in 60 active minutes a day. Our Girls Active research found that only 8% of girls aged between 11 and 18 meet the Chief Medical Officer’s recommendations for 60 active minutes while twice as many boys of the same age meet the target. Our Girls Active joint research with Women in Sport made the following recommendations for schools as a way to engage girls in PE and physical activity. These recommendations are based on the principles of the Girls Active programme and can be applied with a few simple changes. 1. Make PE and physical activity relevant to girls’ lives


2. Empower girls through involving them in design and delivery of PE and physical activities


3. Develop role models by using girls as positive influencers and advocates with their peer group


4. Place developing self-confidence at the heart of PE and physical activity


5. Recognise the power of friends to drive progress


6. Take a long-term approach to engaging girls


Further action There are lots of helpful resources out there for teachers on how we can tackle student obesity. As a charity, we are trying to reverse the deepening obesity crisis by doing all we can to support schools and urging policy makers to see how the power of sport, PE and physical activity is valued, used strategically and repurposed to develop the traits and skills young people need to cope in today’s fast paced, digital world.


uFor additional support, you can become a Youth Sport Trust member school. To find out more information visit www.youthsporttrust.org/become-member


www.education-today.co.uk 33


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