YES
YES
Should Physical Education in Schools be Compulsory?
Should Physical Education in Schools be Compulsory?

Beth Price
Beth Price

Health is promoted by participation in sports. The Government is, or should be, concerned with the welfare and general health of its citizens. Encouraging physical activity in schools fights child obesity and contributes to forming lifelong habits of exercise through compulsory PE. Almost a quarter of adults in England were classified as obese in 2009. This doesn’t have to be through traditional team sports; increasingly schools are able to offer exercise in the form of swimming, gymnastics, dance, weight training, use of a multigym, aerobics, etc.

If physical education were compulsory in secondary schools, it would allow pupils to get better opportunity to discover and develop talents. This would lead to not only a generally healthier generation of students, but a more skilful generation that can then use these gifts later on in life, through the ability to try lots of other activities whilst in school.

Physical activity can contribute to holistic schooling where each child can not only focus on their academic education and achievements but also find their own individuality and purpose in life through things like influences in the community and humanitarian ideals such as consideration and goodwill. ‘Holistic education aims to call forth from people an intrinsic reverence for life and a passionate love of learning.’ This is the classification given by Ron Miller, author of the journal Holistic Education Review.

Sport can be a constructive, character- building experience. It offers one of the greatest chances for students to come into contact with rules and shared values. It plays a key part in endorsing beliefs such as lenience, equality, and responsibility. It outlines the necessity to be accepted as part of a team and get along well with others. With proper leadership, sport offers the opportunity for children to gain gratitude for an active routine, cultivate a confident self-image and develop social skills.

NO
NO

John Osborn
John Osborn

Participation in sports, both inside and outside of schools should be someone’s personal choice. Every child, student, boy or girl has a right, being individuals whether to choose to partake in Physical Education or not.

Compulsory physical education in secondary schools is a waste of a schools resources. Schools spend too much of their finances on sport equipment and facilities when they could be focusing on funding more academic subjects, that consistently run out of necessities like paper for children to write on.

Children should be focusing on subjects that employers will recognise. Physical education distracts pupils from useful learning. Accountants do not care if possible candidates can run around in circles for hours but whether they are actually able to do mathematics to meet the requirements of the job. If students are busy with pointless activities out of the sports field then they will be unable to focus on real qualifications.

We should be aiming to live within an inclusive society. Through physical activity being mandatory you are punishing the less able and making them feel inferior to those more able to partake in sports.

Many adolescents are going through puberty (now that’s a difficult time for most) but for those who are more body conscience changing in front of others is an extremely demeaning and traumatic experience. This could lead to bullying and children amongst themselves creating a hierarchy system within the class.

There are limited schooling hours within the week. Spending too much of that time in the sports hall instead of in the classroom is not helping those who are in need of more help academically.

It encourages sexual activity as sex is a form of extremely fun exercise as Beth Price aka slut knows and this also separates the fatties from the fitties as no one wants to harpoon a whale (unless your matt and on cocaine. )

Fat kids can’t do it!