afPE Taskforce Publish Report on the Future of Physical Education
Time to put Physical Education at the Heart of School Life
The Association for Physical Education (afPE) has today launched a report from its Education Taskforce which issues a clear call to government to put physical education at the heart of school life.
The pandemic has taken a huge toll on our children and young people. Schools and playgrounds were closed to many of them for long periods, and with this went the opportunity for many of them to experience physical education and to be active.
The simple truth is that our children and young people are nowhere near active enough. Whilst it’s true that COVID has had an impact, barely 50 per cent of children were doing enough to stay healthy before the pandemic.
This experience and lifestyle for our young people has to change. PE is the only statutory entitlement for all children and young people to be active, and is the foundation stone in achieving an active, healthy life, but still is not treated with the respect and priority that it deserves.
There is widespread support from teachers, politicians, sport stars, parents and—most importantly—young people themselves for more PE, and for it to be a more ambitious curriculum.
The key solution lies in the Taskforce’s central recommendation—establishing PE as a core subject—with the right initial teacher training, professional development, funding, and rigour, backed by both inspection and relevant monitoring and evaluation.
This can act as a springboard to better pupil engagement with physical activity and sport so that they become habits for life for many more children growing up in our country.