School sports - the Goverment wants to know what you think

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Sport is taken far too seriously. If you're no good at PE, forget it. You're just forgotten. If only they'd had recreational clubs- I think they might have done but they were not advertised- it would have been so much better.

I disliked PE because of the above- I could have been good at some sports eg netball and hockey if they'd properly taught us and encouraged those who were less good. But because I feel like they couldn't be bothered with anyone who wasn't in a squad, PE was awful.

Reply 61

Illuminate.

The PE teachers were great and the facilities were too (probably because it's a specialist sports college), but I used to dread cross country, which we would run 3 times a year - the pitch was so waterlogged you would sink. I also hated outdoor season, when we were forced to do athletics. Don't get me wrong, I love sport and was on the netball team at one point, but I was s*** at running.

Although year 11 was great. We were given a lot more choice in which sports we did, including volleyball and even golf at the local club haha A lot more emphasis was put on technique rather than how good you were and I think people felt more comfortable.

But as a body conscious teenage girl, I can't say getting changed in a room full of your peers is the nicest experience and I would often get changed in the toilets.

I guess that getting sweaty and having to sit in it all day just wasn't appealing.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 62

Blake-inator

I HATE IT SO MUCH!!! i just say im ill and talk to my friends, so i wouldnt want to be rid of it coz its a good talking opportunity!

Reply 63

ArcadiaHouse

I detested it until the new school building opened and we got nice new astroturf to play hockey on and we got to play badminton. Those sessions were actually pretty enjoyable.

Strangely, when I was at school the idea of doing sports outside in the rain and cold filled me with horror, but now I'm at university I have willingly joined sports clubs to do exactly that. :dontknow:

Reply 64

ArcadiaHouse

Original post by Lucas.

I hate PE. Unless we're playing rounders. Who doesn't love a good game of rounders?

God that was so true! Everyone moaned about playing rugby in the mud and the freezing cold but as soon as it was summer, everyone joined in for rounders. :biggrin:

Reply 65

dougturnsy

Mixed to be honest, was the reserve 1st team hockey keeper for my whole school career. There's two sides to this, firstly, great to train, be part of a team and have won four nationals so my CV looks good on that part. Secondly, however, I wasn't bad, would go far in England Trials, but the other keep was the England keeper for years. So i never got to play in important games and was the butt of jokes. When I played for bits in the 2nd team I loved it, but when we went up to the national finals, I just sat and filmed.

Reply 66

upthegunners

sport>

school sport<

Reply 67

Muppet Science

I enjoyed it but it was a bit of a joke at times, with a lack of options so all that ended happening was the football squad slaughtering everyone at football and a bloodbath during rugby; though to be fair not much can be done about that. As an above poster said there should be two focuses: sport and fitness. Those who enjoy sport can go out on the pitches etc. and everyone else can use the gym for general fitness. I think that would be the best of both worlds :smile:

Reply 68

james2012uk

Original post by Zomo

The Government has launched an inquiry into school sports, with the aim of figuring out how to keep the enthusiasm around London 2012 alive...

http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/education-committee/inquiries/parliament-2010/school-sports-following-london-2012/

If you still participate in school sports, how do you feel about it? What's great about it, and what could be changed/improved?

If you've left school (like me), how did you feel about it? Did you constantly fake illness and have unsupportive teachers (like me) or did you love it?

NB: There's also twitter conversation going on with the #schoolsports hashtag.

I think that PE in Year 11 is useless. You do not get any qualification for it, not even a certificate of completion to your name. This lesson should be used as a study lesson in Year 11, so they do not have to be pulled out of other subjects that still require them for revision.

Reply 69

Jodie_668

I absolutely hated sport from primary school to secondary school. Most of my teachers were nice enough so it was probably more to do with my lack of sporting talent.
At my school, they never had separate groups for sport based on skill (as schools would do for English, Maths and Science) but I think if they had split us into these groups, I would of enjoyed sport much more. I always felt really embarrassed and self conscious because I would hold the more talented people back and most of the time, they would keep the basketball/football to themselves just to make it easier. If students were put into skill groups, I think it would be easier to develop at your own pace and not dread sport lessons as much.
I also think that there should be more flexibility in what sport lessons you do. I do think that every student should be made to try all possible sports at least once or twice but if they don't like them after a few lessons, then they shouldn't be made to do them any more. I despise swimming and when year 7 was over and I no longer had to do it, jeez was I happy!

Reply 70

idontevenbeth

As a year 11, I don't hate the sports itself, but the teachers and the treatment of them towards less able pupils. A few years ago I was borderline overweight, I have flat feet which means it can become painful to run and my sports teacher constantly commented on my weight and fitness (I won't go into detail but I did make myself lose a lot of that weight due to her harassment). If school sports are improved, teachers must treat all the kids equally and make sure nobody is in discomfort when they do sports and make sure they do not discriminate towards less able pupils.

Reply 71

Mess.

I enjoyed PE but that is probably because I was on every sports team in the school and knew all of the teachers pretty well :dontknow:

I do believe that they should force people to do it more often and not allow any excuses but further to this schools should offer a choice of different PE class apart from 'everyone play football'.

Our school had a full gym, swimming baths, two football pitches, 4 5-a-side pitches, 6 tennis courts and a sports hall/basketball court/badminton etc area as well as a table tennis area (despite being a local comp). Yet PE pretty much consisted of football or some athletics in the summer. A bit narrow minded for those who wish to be fit but are completely uncoordinated.

Reply 72

Swanbow

Meh, it was alright. Went to a sports college so we had quite a bit of options and variety. I hated running and sports when I joined high school although I did enjoy Rugby. During the final two years of school I was a lot fitter and actually enjoyed playing football and athletics, such as the 100m and Javelin events. It was stuff like badminton, tennis, gymnastics, softball, cross country and the bleep test that I hated the most.

Reply 73

Iron Lady

Original post by The Rusty Spork

I do believe that they should force people to do it more often and not allow any excuses

How does it actually affect you if people decide to opt out?

Reply 74

xoxAngel_Kxox

I hated all but badminton. I think fitness should be a key part of school, but sports aren't something that everyone is good at! There should be more choices for fitness classes, not just sport, for example circuit training, dance, cross country etc.

Reply 75

heshop

I always thought PE was a complete waste of time when we could have actually been learning something useful. I don't understand what it is actually supposed to achieve.

Reply 76

SpanishInquisition

We've always been a mixed ability group so you have people who always try to get out of it pitted against people on national teams who think it's the Olympics. We do "choice" now so there's normally an option like badminton which I like and am pretty good at, but there are mandatory blocks of things like football which I am dangerously bad at. Then there's always the people who somehow get out of it and play the stereo, I should be so lucky! I do think there should be an alternative option, people who don't want to do it won't get any proper exercise out of it anyway.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 77

Okkefac

I'm done with PE for the year (at sixth form next year we'll have to go PE for once year then I'll be done forever) I put hated them although I guess overall I have sort of mixed views.

In middle school PE was horrific. We played Netball EVERY SINGLE LESSON and whenever we did I was always made Wing defense even though I'm no good at it (I'm no good at netball in general) and the fact that we had no variation was so annoying.

And then we have the problem of when we did PE on the field and got covered in mud.
Our schools did have showers but only about 6 and for a class or 30 or so girls obviously that won't do. Also, the timetable for lessons doesn't give us enough time to have a shower and get changed. I think I ONCE tried to have a shower, then realised it would involve people seeing me naked (the changing blocks were open so everyone could see) and just gave up and didn't bother.

In high school however, I guess PE has improved. I've just been really lucky because I've had a really nice teacher and a really nice class.
Yes there is a big divide between good and bad pupils but LUCKILY the good girls in our group realise this is just core PE and don't care that we're no good and just let us be bad and encourage us.
If I were in the other group (we are mixed, although it's obvious the other group is better) then I am sure I would have been ridiculed and made fun of for being so terrible.

I guess my biggest issue with PE has been that there's no choice. If the weather is nice we'd always do netball or rounders. I am fine with rounders, even if I don't do anything, I just stand about when it's not my turn and I can't field at all. In a way that sort of contradicts the point of PE as I'm not getting any exercise anyway. Netball is just terrible, again I do nothing... luckily the teacher has never gotten mad at me for that and has always been encouraging and nice about it.

I think that for the people who need PE the most (aka the obese children, which I will admit I am one of those) it is the least useful. Okay, I read people saying kids get to take the lesson off, which never happens at our school... we all do PE but half of us don't do much in it. The only times I was ever tired after doing PE was when we did basketball, which I really enjoy even if I'm not that good at it.

Saying all that though I think I was just really really lucky I've had such a nice teacher and been in such a great group, and it sucks that many people have to go through with having horrible teachers who give you penalties for not being able to do their lessons, which isn't very fair.

Reply 78

ss_s95

Imagine how it feels to be picked last all the time when the class is made to play a sport that you don't even like. Or how it feels to be blamed for losing games when you weren't even responsible for - I used to suffer that humiliation years ago before I got fitter.

In my old school, they were too focused on football - while the point of physical education is to emphasise physical fitness not just through sports, but other activities like running and circuit training. I think it's just ridiculous that every PE lesson I had back in those days was just an hour-long football game.

Reply 79

EuskaltelEuskadi

I'm at a very sporty school, but more so for the boys than the girls (rugby and cricket being the main focus) however there's a lot of choice in what we used to do in PE (we don't have to do any in 6th form). In Games it's rugby/ hockey in the winter, football/ netball in the spring and cricket/ rounders in the summer for boys and girls respectively. In PE lessons we did a huge mix of things such as athletics, basketball, badminton, trampolining, softball, gymnastics etc. The PE teachers are encouraging even to those bad at sports and the only thing I really disliked was having to go outside when it's cold/wet and then be cold and wet for the rest of the day. But that's a minor complaint really.