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The Report of the Review Group on Physical Education
The Case for Change
The physical education curriculum can make a major contribution towards improving the health and wellbeing of young people, support them in making good choices in life and setting in place good habits which they can take with them into adulthood.
HMIE Evidence
It is clear from recent HMIE inspection evidence that there is much to celebrate in terms of the provision of physical education in schools. Improving Physical Education in Primary Schools and the Effective Learning and Teaching in Physical Education publications both reported on good practice in primary and secondary schools. However, HMIE outlined concerns about the provision of physical education in schools and the growing proportion of young people who were disengaged from physical education in some upper schools. They reported a lack of consistency in the quality of physical education provision in schools in Scotland.
The Problem of Inactivity in Scotland
The 1998 Scottish Health Survey showed an alarming level of inactivity among children and young people. One in three primary school-aged girls and one in four primary school-aged boys did not achieve the levels which are regarded as being the minimum required for health benefits.
Source: Scottish Health Survey, 1998
From the age of 4 girls were, on average, less active than boys. This gap between the sexes was greatest during adolescence. By the age of 16, two in three girls and one in three boys did not reach the recommended minimum levels of physical activity. This accelerated decline in teenage years continues into adulthood and later life. The most dramatic decline happens with teenage girls. Only 35% of girls aged 14-15 are achieving the recommended level of physical activity.
While physical education was offered to all pupils in the 5-14 age range, for those pupils not pursuing a national qualification in physical education beyond age 14, there was concern about a drop in participation in non-certificated, or what is often termed "core" physical education programmes.
A number of studies show that children and young people with a disability and those from minority-ethnic groups are, overall, even less active than other young people. This puts them at higher risk of the diseases associated with inactivity earlier in their adult life. Also, they are less likely to have developed the necessary foundations for activity in later life.
A Global Perspective
Scotland is not alone in acknowledging difficulties with physical education. Physical education in schools was the subject of a World Summit held in Berlin in 1999, which concluded:
| Despite the overwhelming scientific evidence on the value of physical activity, and the fact that the 1978 UNESCO Charter enshrined physical education as a basic human right, physical education is in a perilous position in all regions of the world. Some countries have either removed physical education from the curriculum or reduced curriculum time allocation.(Source: World Summit on Physical Education, 1999, proceedings) |
In order to determine the extent of the problem, a world-wide audit (which included an extensive literature survey) of the state and status of physical education in schools was undertaken, funded by the International Olympic Committee. The audit results show the serious decline in physical education around the world, regardless of geography or socio-economic status.
This illustrates that concerns about physical education in Scottish schools, and its related impact on levels of physical activity in the Scottish population, are mirrored across the world. By reviewing the provision of physical education in its schools, Scotland is breaking new ground in addressing an issue of international scale.
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