The Student Room Group

The current stupidity of compulsory P.E

I hate Physical Education, and I know that you probably do too.

Thing is - it's not our fault that we hate it. Ever since I started secondary school it became boring and tedious, for reasons such as:

Horrible and hard to change into kit that was too hot and horrible even in winter,

Trackies were banned and disgusting tight fitted shorts were compulsory (this was not a problem for me, but for other larger framed girls it was),

We weren't allowed to choose what sports we played so every lesson we dreaded what we were going to have to do,

P.E in the morning makes you all sticky for the rest of the day in school which sucks.



All of these reasons are not our fault. They are the fault of the schools we have to go to. The government is so eager to get people to excersise more and stop over eating for a generally healthier population, (which in turn will save the NHS a workload) but they still tell schools to make P.E compulsory, and the schools don't make it a pleasant experience.

Now, I'm not saying it's the same in all schools, but for bog standard secondaries it usually is the case and I hate it. I am active, but I do sports in my own time where it's a nicer experience without people watching me excersise, and I can wear whatever I want. I also go to the gym daily and enjoy that a lot too. The problem is that this compulsory P.E is putting children off wanting to excersise because they believe that excersise outside of school will be the same unpleasant experience.

To solve this, I think that P.E should not be a subject studied in school,as it isn't in mine anymore, and there should be more after school clubs with coaches that are friendly and encouraging. At the moment I currently study GCSE ICT in place of P.E, and my school has a breakfast club for 2 hours on a Monday morning to which dedicated sports enthusiasts attend to keep fit because they choose to. Sports shouldn't be a chore.

/Rant.


Discuss?

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Reply 1
P.E was probably the worst timetabled lessons for myself at school. So glad it wasn't compulsory in the sixth form.

I couldn't stand it as I hated playing football and rugby which were usually compulsory and by naturally being a bad player, got a lot of negative responces from the ones who were good at it.
Reply 2
I hated it too, I wasn't even hideously bad but sport just bores me.

In the last term, I literally did sports once. I think at the ages of 16, 17 and 18 we should be able to decide if we are fat/unhealthy/want to do it.
If PE wasn't compulsory, the school-age population would be a lot fatter than it is now. Yeah, the lesson immediately after PE is usually a bit unpleasant, but it could be much much worse.

I hated PE too, but it's a necessity.
Disagree. Can't be arsed to write a response at the moment, so that'll have to suffice for now.
Reply 5
It was complusory up to year 11 in my school (Year 10 for you lot). Luckily I got out of it because I did Add Maths. :biggrin:
P.E was the best lesson of the week back in my school days :biggrin:
Reply 7
When I left school to go to a different 6th form I thought I'd hit the jackpot - no compulsory PE. But then I left that one to go to a different one and landed right back in PE :frown: I skived a whole term by just going to my room and hiding in bed though before they caught on (yes it was a boarding school).
Reply 8
you really need to be in the bottom group to understand the joy of PE.

we were playing hockey with studs and ran on the cricket pitch and jumping up and down and wacking the ground with sticks.

good times
I never had to do PE at my current school (for medical reasons) but i spent a term at another school and the PE teacher there was EVIL, i had a perfectly valid reason to miss PE and she was always horid to me
I agree that school PE lessons were not the ones I looked forwards to most on the timetable but I still think they are very important and should be compulsory.
Firstly, they were a way for me to try new sports, such as lacrosse, which I had never tried before and ended up liking. I would never have bothered to join an out-of-school club offering these things but it is important for people to try them and compulsory PE is a good way to ensure this happens.
Secondly, school PE kits are silly and porly designed but to be honest I can think of much worse things - by the time I was exhausted by whatever sport it is I'd forgotten about it anyway.
Thirdly, some kids are never going to do sports if they are not compulsory. It is important these people learn to get off their backsides and do something, even if it is outside their comfrt zone.
Finally, I rather enjoyed doing sports with friends even if I wasn't very good at the sport in question. There's something motivating about working in a team and having a laugh as you do it. I think it would be sad if you lost all the fun parts of PE as well as the bad. So many funny PE memories...
So yes, I'd rather like compulsory PE lessons to be kept. :smile:
I think it's a great idea. When you're in the middle of all the work and assignments and all that (especially during a-levels), its difficult to find time and motivation to go play some sports to get fit, which is where P.E. comes in. I wished we had more of it per week!
Reply 12
Not everyone will like all lessons, i wasnt too keen on english at school but i still had to do it. Pe is important as its the only exercise some people get in the week. It also lets people try new sports which they may like and then take up outside of school (keeping them fit and they may get good at it and progress further)

Some people just say they dont like it, bring it fake notes and dont bother trying, people who like it then get annoyed at them and shout which makes them not like it even more (most girls at my high school were like this)

Girls had to play football and rugby just like the boys had to play netball and rounders, but we didnt complain.
Reply 13
As much as I hated P.E I wish it was compulsory for my last 2 years at school.

I do think more effort should be made to make P.E more fun in school though, although this is down to individual schools and P.E teachers to do.
Reply 14
Carlo08
Not everyone will like all lessons, i wasnt too keen on english at school but i still had to do it. Pe is important as its the only exercise some people get in the week. It also lets people try new sports which they may like and then take up outside of school (keeping them fit and they may get good at it and progress further)



The issue I had was I spent a triple lesson at the end of each Tuesday standing on a field, doing bugger all when I had more important essays, c/w, revision etc. to be doing. If I feel the need to exercise I'll go on my exercise bike, to the gym or for a run etc. where I will actually break a sweat/
Reply 15
In some schools, however, there is a lack of sporting equippment meaning that crappy sports are played constantly, which is an automatic sporty turn off for me :frown:. A big fat juicy one.
Reply 16
i liked P.E. it was complusory at my school to have 2 lessons each week until 5th and 6th year where we had 1 per week. i noticed in 5th year that i wasnt as fit as i had been before because i wasnt gettin as much exercise.

despite the fact that a lot of people dislike p.e., it is deffinately a subject which should be compulsory because without it many children would get no exercise at all
Reply 17
jodie_lee
The issue I had was I spent a triple lesson at the end of each Tuesday standing on a field, doing bugger all when I had more important essays, c/w, revision etc. to be doing. If I feel the need to exercise I'll go on my exercise bike, to the gym or for a run etc. where I will actually break a sweat/


Yes but it isnt all about you is it?

You have essays to do, this exercise may be the only thing stopping half of your class getting heart problems if they dont do regular exercise out of school. Also if they excused you from PE because you did exercise out of school, then this rule would have to apply for all lessons... So anyone who had a maths tutor would be excused from maths etc...
Reply 18
get over it. everyone else has. besides it keeps you fit.
Reply 19
hated PE. we got to choose what we did but we were always left with hockey and football (some may then say that we were too unfit to get to any of the good ones fast, but sometimes we did get to the good ones first and then they got too full so the teachers made us move, so unfair.)
hated it as it was always cold and as i am tall it is hard to get really long trackies (managed in the end thank god)

every schools should just be made to do trampolining and obstacle rounders endlessly, they are by far the best PE lessons

did anyone else have to do the 12 minute run? torture