Outdoor play equipment – such as climbing frames and trampolines – in the home contribute hugely to keeping children active and healthy, however this is just half the struggle as active lifestyles should also be encouraged at school.
At a recent teachers’ conference in London, sports medicine specialists stressed the need for P.E to be treated as seriously as other core subjects such as English and Maths. This would mean the next generation of adults will be more conscious of the positive benefits of remaining healthy and keeping fit. Currently the NHS spends £4.2 billion every year on obesity related procedures and treatments and educating children to engage in exercise and to eat well should mean a drop in this enormous figure.
Taking it a step further sports medicine specialist Dr Andy Franklyn-Miller suggested we should be looking to introduce testing within P.E lessons in order to monitor children’s progress. His argument being that without testing, no improvement or perhaps decline in skills can be monitored and no help can be given to those children that are struggling with physical activities. There was some opposition from the members of the National Union of Teachers who felt that testing wasn’t appropriate.
What are your thoughts? Should PE testing be introduced or would this reduce enthusiasm for physical education further?
