Miss

ompulsory Physical Education in Schools. Danielle Mathieson
In the last ten years our culture had dramatically changed. People used to enjoy being active and wanted to exercise and stay fit and healthy. Physical education in schools makes sure that children are getting some sort of exercise as it is not guaranteed they will be getting it at home. Some schools don’t force children to participate in physical education but want them to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Children’s obesity is growing in the United Kingdom. Physical Education should be compulsory in schools.
Some children physically cannot participate in sport; therefore I feel all children should involve themselves in activities in school if they have the ability to do so. Their participation in pe teaches them about lifelong fitness. When I attended primary school, physical education helped play a a very important role in my life. I became involved in several different sports because of participation in physical education classes. During we played many different types of sport which now still helps me as a higher physical education student. In addition, we learned some of the basics of coaching a class of pupils. I played football for years because of my involvement in physical education classes. This is an example of how important PE is to us and how it helps up later on in life.
However people argue that students should have the right to control their own bodies and choose what they do with it. The aim of compulsory PE isn’t being fulfilled at present in any case, and greater efforts to enforce it will only result in more deceit. Children will purposely miss school for the entire day just because they don’t want to take part in PE or, in the most extreme cases, may be withdrawn due to parents being unwilling to allow their children to be forced into something they don’t wish to do. Therefore, people feel the whole physical education in schools should simply be abandoned and make the whole exercise situation become voluntary.
This method can be easily counter attacked as, if children are not forced to exercise in youth, many will never think to do it in adulthood. As obesity in the UK is rising rapidly Dr. David Haslam believes schools are part of the problem. Individuals have no right to choice about this they're being forced to attend school, to take the lessons the government says they should take. The country doesn't just impose a curricular compulsion, since physical attendance is forced so there’s nothing special in principle about enforced PE. What can be more important as an aim for our schools than to encourage public health?
Students should be allowed a choice with relation to their school subjects, including physical education. Children have an idea from a very young age, what they want to do with their life from what subjects they enjoy in school and what subjects they don't. Lots of children don't want to do physical education so why should it be different than any other subject. People feel that if children are uncomfortable with their bodies they shouldn’t have to do an activity that will make them feel extremely self-conscious. In addition to this those who do enjoy PE will still be able to enjoy the class and be in an environment surrounded by those who feel similarly. Competitors will no longer be held back by those who force teachers to re-iterate instructions or rules.
Pupils that are unaware of the subjects that will most benefit them in the competitive work environment shouldn’t have a right to choose all their subjects at school. A lot schools offer students a restricted right to choose subjects at school, however only those which offer an advantage to them. Subjects such as, English, maths, science and physical education, are not voluntary because they offer advantages not just in that particular subject but in many different areas. If students were given the right to choose all their subjects, few would do the more difficult subjects like science and maths as they require more effort and are much more rewarding for society as a whole, and the pupils themselves.
A compulsory subject rather than voluntary is a risk for both students and schools as some people believe. More and more schools are avoiding team games such as rugby, hockey, and football for the fear of basically being sued when injuries and disputes occur. Furthermore, injuries that occur through school sport and the psychological trauma of being bullied for sporting ineptitude can mark people for years after they have left school. Also, psychological injuries occur to those who would not otherwise do sport if they weren’t forced, these types of injuries tend to be the longest and most damaging. Voluntary physical education would avoid any of these matters from happening.
However, compulsory physical education does not risk unnecessary and costly injury. Injuries that happen in physical education are easier to deal than injuries that occur in the classroom or playground as PE teachers are usually trained in first-aid. Furthermore, the psychological bullying that occurs in physical education classes is only a very small percentage of bullying as a whole throughout schools, so it is not a valid excuse, The ability or lack of it, that leads to bullying in PE classes is no in any other class.
Places that are quite successful in sporting events realise different to the lack of ability that sports, like any other specialised subjects, are best taught to those who actually want to take part and get somewhere with it. Forcing all students to compete holds back the able and punishes the less able. Many think this isn’t the way it should be as it doesn’t help those who wants to do sport and crushes the confidence of those who don’t.
Although, if the people who do feel very self-conscious when taking part in PE just stop altogether and don’t try and get over it, it will not help them later on in life. As previously mentioned obesity in the United Kingdom in largely increasing being worried about how you look isn’t an important enough excuse to dismiss you from any physical education. It is completely for your own benefit, not to be made a fool of.
Overall I feel that PE should most definitely be compulsory at least until the child is over the age of 16. The fact people don’t want to take part due to fear of bullying and feeling bad about themselves has been taken into consideration, but if feel their health is much more important than any of that stuff. If pupils enjoy physical education it’s a bonus but if they don’t it’s just something they will need to get on with, as the children’s health nowadays is becoming increasingly worrying.