+44 07513 522 896
info@ptcsports.co.uk
+44 07513 522 896
info@ptcsports.co.uk
UK school pupils to learn about mental and physical well–being as part of the new curriculum.
Starting next year (2020) all children in England will be taught how to look after their mental and physical well-being as part of the government’s plan to make health education in all school’s compulsory.
PTC Sports is a keen advocate of the Education Secretary, Damian Hinds, plans to promote the link between mental and physical health for school children of all ages. This is in addition to the introduction of relationship education at primary school level and Relationship and Sex Education (RSE) for secondary age students.
The new programmes are designed to equip young people for ‘modern day living’ and will include teaching children how to look after themselves both mentally and physically. For example, primary school pupils will learn about friendship, spending time outdoors, nutrition and the importance of physical activity.
On the other hand, secondary school students will learn about the impact of drugs and alcohol on their mental status as well as the importance of regular exercise. This comes on the back of a recent government study reporting that almost a third of children in the UK aged 2 to 15 are overweight with younger generations become obese at an earlier age.
The report ‘childhood obesity – a plan of action’ recommended increased physical activity and participating in organised sports and after-school exercise. This, they say, leads to academic improvement. However, this, the report went on to say, can only be achieved with the active involvement of schools and support organisations such as ourselves.
The new compulsory lessons will go some way to addressing the ‘obesity time bomb’ However, it will be up to the schools themselves to decide how they wish to teach the new content both as part of the daily routine or as an extra-curricular activity.
To prepare schools for the new programme, the government has allocated £6m to provide extra resources and teacher training. In addition, the department of education will also provide further support to ‘early adopter’ schools that start teaching the new content from this September (2019)
As an Organisation, we are already working closely with many schools to enable them to fulfil their commitment to these initiatives. We deliver before / after school and holiday clubs. These offer a full range of physical activities such as sport, dance, gym, team games and workout sessions. All aimed, as Education Secretary Damian Hinds says, at preparing young people for the complex world ahead of them.
Boys are doing less exercise than girls according to a recent NHS recent survey.
The annual survey, on children’s health, is based on a personal interview with 8000 adults and 2000 children and focuses on health trends, including well-being, fruit and vegetable consumption and physical activity.
The latest report, published by National Statistics, shows that there has been a marked decrease in the number of boys meeting recommended physical activity from 28% in 2008 to 21% in 2012 levelling out at 23% in 2015.
Girls, on the other hand, have shown no significant change from 19% in 2008 to 20% in 2015.
However, the biggest decrease for both boys and girls is in the older age group, from 13-15. This is a worrying trend as there is considerable evidence that children who are currently overweight may face long term health issues in later life.
In 2011, the government pledged to tackle childhood obesity by encouraging a healthy lifestyle, as part of their ‘Start Active, Stay Active’ programme. This also included reducing sugar content and promoting the fruit and veg 5 a day campaign.
In addition, following the 1997 white paper ‘Excellence in Schools’ and the 2003 Green Paper ‘Every Child Matters,’ there has been an increased focus on implementing initiatives to promote health and fitness in schools.
This includes a national recommended level of physical activity for healthy development of 60 minutes a day and we’re on a mission to get young people more active.
According to the government, physical activity for children is critical for motor development, cognitive improvement, psychosocial health, and cardio-metabolic health. It also reduces body fat and has been proven to increase academic achievement.
One of the government’s key findings was that young people are more likely to participate in physical activity if it is fun and meaningful. Our holiday clubs aim to be just that.
We offer a wide range of sporting activity sessions throughout the school year, including half term breaks. These include football, gymnastics, basketball and dance.
These are delivered by qualified (Enhanced DBS checked) instructors to OFSTED approved curriculum and all delivered in accordance with the government’s ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ guidance
The ‘Start Active, Stay Active’ programme recommends that children under 5yrs should be physically active for a minimum 3 hours a day while 5 – 18yrs should take part in moderate physical activity for at least an hour a day, every day.
However, it is stressed that this is the minimum and young people should be encouraged to engage in more vigorous activity for several hours at least three days a week.
Our holiday clubs keep young people engaged and having fun while possibly trying something new. We even follow the Joe Wicks regime while Body Coach School Fitness
has created HIIT workouts for children to take part in during school hours.
We also offer ‘fit’ family sessions for both children and adults as well as our popular family boot camp and Zumba sessions. These and our in-term and half term holiday clubs give an insight into the benefits of exercise proving that health and fitness can be fun.
