Approaches to Physical Education in Schools Essay

animal(prenominal) occupation is a abundant term to describe movement of the body that uses energy. Unless otherwise stated, taking part in Sport and fleshly performance is defined as All forms of bodily activities which, through casual or organised participation, get down at expressing or up(p) sensual fitness and mental hale-being, forming social relationships or obtaining results in tilt at all levels. Physical inactivity is regarded a serious, nation widely problem.Its extent poses as a universe wellness challenge for reducing the national burden of unnecessary illness and premature death. Starting activity from an early age and throughout minorhood helps an important input to healthy growth and development. There is heavy and growing evidence that regular tangible activity reduces the risk of suffering from various common disorders. evidence shows regular physical activity in childishness and adolescence cleanses strength and endurance, helps build healthy bo nes and muscles, helps falsify weight, reduces anxiety and stress, increases self-esteem, and may improve blood pressure and cholesterol levels.There argon also many psychosocial aspects of physical activity, such as having the opportunity for social interaction and support (Hughes, Casal, Leon 1986), experiencing increased feelings of self-efficacy (Simons et al. 1985 Hughes, Casal, Leon 1986), and experiencing relief from every twenty-four hours stressors (Bahrke and Morgan 1978), may help improve mental health status in some batch. http//www. cdc. gov/nccdphp/sgr/pdf/chap4. pdf If a child has positive experiences with physical activity at a youthful age it may help distinguish the foundations for being regularly active throughout life.This would mean not just about teaching children how to draw dramas, there is the wider proposal in terms of their lives, like giving them aspirations, something to aim for and how they can achieve their goals. Parents and carers are importa nt social influencers upon children and young wads lifestyle choices. Hendry, Shucksmith, Love and Glendinning (1993, pg. 59) state that Two major elements appear to be dirctly related to attraction towards and avoidance of sport participation parents as role models and parental encouragement, expectations and support.Physical activity promotion is a high component of many organisation policy statements and commitments in the UK. These include those produced by the plane section of Health and other departments such as the Department or Transport, the Department of Culture. The Department of Healths Saving Lives Our Healthier Nation is an action plan for tackling poor health and improving the health of everyone in England. The organisation has recognised the negative economic and social consequences of physical inactivity.In declination 2002, the Government make feisty Plan, a outline for delivering its sport and physical activity objectives. Game Plan spate a national agen da to increase and widen the base of participation in sport, to target success in international sport and to promote any reform necessary for the schema to be delivered. Game Plan sets the target of 70% of the population to be reasonably active 5 x 30 minutes per workweek by 2020. (http//www. sportengland. org/national-framework-for-sport. pdf) The White Paper also agrees that physical activity is a name aid to good health and an important factor in preventing heart disease, calamity and other chronic disease.This document is the 2004 Government Public Health White Paper published by the department of health. It forms the foundation 2004 of public health policy. The White Paper sets out the key principles for supporting the public to make healthier lifestylechoices. Physical activity is one of six priorities identified in the white subject and actions to promote physical activity are xamined in several chapters (Health in the consumer society, Children and young people, Local c ommunities leading for health, Work and health, and Health promoting NHS). Everybody knows that Government and individuals alone cannot make come out on healthier choices. Progress depends on effective partnerships across communities, including local government, the NHS, business, advertisers, retailers, the voluntary sector, communities, and the media.The NHS Plan was produced and set out plans for investment in and reform of the NHS. It included the commitment to develop local action to rein in obesity and physical activity, informed by advice from the Health Development Agency on what works (Department of Health,2001 The intensity of public health interventions for increasing physical activity among adults a review of reviews) The Department of Culture media and sport (DCMS) encourages greater sport participation.Its strategy A Sporting Future for All recognises sport as a powerful tool for social, educational and physical wellbeing. Published in 2000, this document sets out new-sprung(prenominal) Labours vision for sport including sport in education, sport in the community, sporting rightness and the modernisation of sporting organisations. The Department for Transport, Local Government and Regions DTLR, in one case the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions, DETR, aims to make it easier and safer for people to walk and cycle, therefore reducing the amount of cars.The Department of Culture Media and Sport Department for discipline and Skills (DfES, formerly the Department for Education and Employment, DfEE) launched a joint home(a) Healthy Schools Standard in 1999 with DH which consists of ten key themes physical activity is one of these. Source adapted from NAO, Tackling Obesity in England (Health benefits of physical activity,2001) One of the government main concerns and well known agendas is to control the raising levels of child obesity.Rates of obesity have dramatically increased in England over the last decade. If no action is taken, one-in-five children aged 2-15 in England will be obese by 2010. (Obesity focussing for healthy schools coordinators and their partners) There is a need for the departments to involve other partners at national and local levels to help develop and implement solid strategies for prevention, which include adults as well as young people. At national levels, this is taking place already, and departments should develop joint objectives and performance targets relating o aspects of physical activity and diet to ensure that this progress is combined. At the local level, health authorities are well located to start these activities by developing Health. They could appropriate to a greater extent Improvement Programmes that involve a wide range of other partners in schemes to increase cycling, walking and physical recreation and to improve diet, such as increased consumption of fruit and vegetables, and the knowledge for a healthy diet.Chief Medical Officer Sir Liam Donaldson say Higher levels of physical activity among children and young people, together with much healthier eating patterns, are the key to averting the potential catastrophic effects of the obesity epidemic which is beginning to emerge. (Stars back school sports holler to fight obesity 2004) There is a substantial amount of cross-department work in the areas that are aboriginal to addressing the rising levels of obesity. Much of this is targeted at schoolchildren.This addresses a section of the population for which obesity is becoming an increasing problem. The NHS aims to term of enlistment the rise in obesity among children in the region by 2010. National and regional activities and programmes are already in place to help tackle obesity such as the five a day scheme, regulation on food promotion and advertising to children, national weight loss guidance and physical activity programmes and work with the food industry on portion size and labelling. Other Government departments have an in fluence through school education and the promotion of healthy eating.Many schools now provide a healthy eating plan, abolishing foods such as chocolate and crisps on sale in the canteen. The focus of such strategies should be to make it easier for the public to make healthy choices. Such strategies require funding for implementation, and should ultimately lead to a reduction in the costs to the NHS from obesity related ill health. (http//www. iotf. org/childhood/) Schools are seen as being in the front line in the battle against what has been called the biggest public health threat of the 21st century obesity. (http//news. bbc. co. k/1/hi/education/3751305. stm) The potential of Physical Education to help contribute to health enhancing behaviour has been long acknowledged. Schools have a key role and are in a significant position in helping pupils to reach the recommended daily level of physical activity, both by providing them with suitable activity opportunities and also by help ing them to acquire the skills, chthonianstanding and government agency to pursue activity outside of the school. PE and school sport is an entitlement for all pupils whatever their own particular need, druthers or circumstance.The national curriculum for PE is not prescriptive and provides flexibility that schools can exercise when providing activities so that the needs of all pupils can be catered for. A key role of physical education is to maintain, and if possible improve the health and physique of the children (Issues in Physical Education 2000) Three government departments DH, DfEE (now DfES) and DETR (now DTLR) have set up the School Travel Advisory Group in 1998 as a forum for debate and coordination.They published guidance for local authorities on building a safe environment to encourage more children to walk or cycle to school. To help the promotion of sport and physical activity in schools the National Healthy Schools Target developed by DH/DfEE sets an expectation t hat pupils should have at least 2 hours physical activity each week. A recent poll that Sport England undertook shows that only 1 in 5 primary schools currently meet the 2 hours target.The national PE, School Sport and Club Links strategy was launched by the Prime Minister in October 2002. Its overall objective is to enhance the take-up of sporting opportunities by 5 to 16-year-olds. The PESSCL strategy has set targets to increase the amount of Physical Education and sport young people do. The ambitious target is to increase the percentage of schoolchildren who spend a minimum of two hours a week on high-quality PE and school sport within and beyond the curriculum to 75 per cent by 2006 and 85 per cent by 2008. (childhood obesity 2003) It is also trying to bridge the gaps between school and community sport, opening up schools out of hours to provide additional sports opportunities for all children. A recent campaign that Gordon Brown has proposed is that he wants all school childre n to get the chance to do five hours of sport a week. Currently children under 16 are required to do two hours a week within the national curriculum.