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FEATURE FOCUS: TACKLING STUDENT OBESITY
challenging. It’s great to see so many organisations like AFPE, Youth Sports Trust and The FA as well as retailers like Sports Direct really highlighting the importance and power of PE.
coming home, seeing my family and then going out for the rest of the day to play sport and make new friends. It saddens me that when I leave work, I see football cages empty, parks empty, playing fields empty and teenagers using their time to engage in activities that are not conducive to learning new skills. Parents are scared to let their children go out, explore and meet new people due to everything that they see and hear on social media/TV, and I worry that this fear will only get worse. They also do not have the confidence to give their children greater freedom, and struggle themselves to take their children out to be active. This can either be due to not having time due to other important commitments, or it could be that they have not previously had positive experiences when engaging in PE in school and do not personally enjoy being physically active. If this is the case, it has the potential to transfer over to a child which can result in children wanting to drop out of physical activity. I recently took it upon myself to ask our
children how many of them had access to tablets/ devices and used them on a daily basis. I was shocked to see that 95% of children all put their hands up and even referred to games that they are technically not allowed to play. I then followed up by asking how many children play active games/sports out of school. I was saddened to see that only 60% of children put their hands up. Since coming back to school after the pandemic, I have experienced first-hand the detrimental effect it has had on children’s physical and mental well-being, and this effect only seems to increase as time goes on. Children’s motivation levels have dropped, physical appearances have changed and their resilience and willingness to try different things has gone. It has been a real challenge trying to get children involved and enjoying PE again. Even when my PE lessons are scheduled for the beginning of the day, after 10- 20 minutes into the PE lesson the children start to complain about feeling tired, things not being fair, or simply not wanting to engage in any of the activities I set them. As a result of not having
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to follow routine and structure for two years, it has been a real challenge to change the children mentally. I have had to fully adapt and change our PE Curriculum and the activities I use to engage our children. Although the activities are still linked to the National Curriculum, I have opted for a more carousel based approach, where children have the opportunity to explore and engage in different games whilst still working in line with the National Curriculum, developing technical/tactical skills, psychological/social skills but most importantly, life skills. The recently conducted research by Sports
Direct highlighted that 48% of children would rather be on streaming devices than play sport, which to me is really frightening. We can combat this ongoing problem by ensuring that when children engage in PE, they leave with such a buzz that it makes then want to come back! This can be achieved through amazing campaigns like Sports Slam, where schools are able to sign up, receive free equipment and gain access to digital lesson plans which are inclusive, fun and
How can we get children interested again in PE and sport generally? We can achieve this by ensuring that PE lessons are fun, exciting, challenging, engaging and energetic. It’s an exciting challenge for us teachers to create an environment that allows children to have plenty of positive memorable experiences. By doing this we are able to ensure that their love for PE and sports is maintained. As a result of this they will be able to keep this going when they go to college and when they branch out to focus on specific sports. By being positive role models, we are also able to give children the important tools for life which they can put to use and I hope one day use to inspire the next generation just like we strive for on a daily basis. All I knew growing up was playing sports. It’s those positive experiences, the amazing role models I was able to learn from and the essential life skills that I was able to develop which has led to me wanting to help and give others the opportunities to witness, feel and experience the love for PE and sports and how it can change your life for the better. I urge all primary schools in the UK to sign up
to the Sports Slam campaign which Sports Direct has just launched – all the schools who sign up will receive free equipment and lessons resources linked to the National Curriculum. They will be able to use these fantastic resources and equipment to help children regain their love for PE. I also encourage parents/carers where possible, to try and engage in physical activity with their child out of school hours. I appreciate that this might not be possible due to various circumstances, but if you can help develop a child’s enjoyment of physical activity, this will encourage them to engage more in their PE lessons and most importantly it will grow their love for PE and sports, whilst at the same time developing essential life skills. Together we can make a difference!
To register your school to take part in Sports Slam, head to:u
http://sportsslam.co.uk/
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