Getting physical
Ofsted carried out a survey from September 2005 to July 2008 and found that schools are on track for physical education (PE), with pupils taking part in a wider range of activities than ever before. Creative approaches, such as mountain biking, dance, martial arts, and yoga, not only encouraged pupils who were not keen on traditional team activities, but also reduced disaffection and improved engagement.
The report, Physical Education in Schools 2005/8: working towards 2012 and beyond, published in April, recognises that PE makes a contribution to tackling increasing concerns about childhood obesity – but is not the sole solution.
Pupils’ achievement was good or outstanding in two thirds of the 99 primary schools visited in England, and over three quarters of the 84 secondary schools visited. Inspectors found most young people they spoke to enjoyed PE, their engagement in lessons was positive and participation rates in extra-curricular activities were high.
Teachers, particularly in primary schools, have benefited from increased opportunities for professional development which have led to improvements in subject leadership, teaching and standards
Most of the primary schools were meeting the Government’s target of two hours’ PE and school sports a week, and those that didn’t often bolstered the total with structured physical activities at the start of the day, break and lunchtime. Many of the secondary schools had increased curriculum time for PE and most were also meeting the target, except at Key Stage 4, where provision in half the secondary schools fell short for some pupils who did not take an examination course in the subject.
Government funding from 2003 has enabled a greater, more sustained focus on PE. And teachers, particularly in primary schools, have benefited from increased opportunities for professional development which have led to improvements in s
ubject leadership, teaching and standards.
In both primary and secondary schools, pupils were encouraged to take on responsibilities and leadership roles, contributing not only to the school and local community, but also their personal development. In primary schools older and talented pupils led warm-up sessions and acted as playground activity leaders, and secondary students organised clubs, festivals and tournaments for younger students and primary schools.
In one school, daily physical activity starts at the breakfast club, where children eat and then take gentle exercise. At break times, the whole school, including the teachers, participates in 10 minutes of aerobic-style physical combat exercises to music, led by Year 6 pupils who are trained as sports leaders. At lunchtimes and after school, a wealth of clubs, festivals and competitions for individual and team sports help pupils take part and excel in a broad range of sport. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities attend a specific club, using speed, agility and quickness resources and, consequently, they make exceptional progress.
‘The challenge is for all schools to find enough time for PE and to encourage pupils to continue to enjoy being active into adulthood’
Although better than in most other subjects, assessment was the weakest aspect of PE in both primary and secondary schools. Procedures were not robust enough to monitor and analyse the achievements of all pupils. Less than a third of the primary schools shared records of pupils’ achievements in PE with their partner secondary schools, and most of the secondary schools did not assess students’ standards and achievement in core physical education at Key Stage 4.
In another school, the teaching assistant in a Year 1 lesson contributed significantly to supporting assessments by taking digital images of performances and watching the playback immediately with the pupils to evaluate their strengths and identify what could be improved. This immediate feedback helped pu
pils to make instant changes in their performances, such as improving their use of space and their coordinated timing of their dance movements within the group. It also helped to develop their vocabulary when they used specific words to evaluate their own performances. At the end of the lesson the teacher and teaching assistant discussed and agreed which pupils had made progress and who needed support in future lessons.
Christine Gilbert, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, said: ‘As we look forward to the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012, this report provides an encouraging picture of young people’s enjoyment and achievement in PE and sport. The challenge is for all schools to find enough time for PE and to encourage pupils to continue to enjoy being active into adulthood.’
To read the report, Physical Education in Schools 2005/8: working towards 2012 and beyond, visit www.ofsted.gov.uk/publications/080249
