The history of Physical Education

In the 1800s, P.E focused on gymnastics, hygiene and taking are of the human body.
Although much of the end goals are the same, the way they get to these has changed
substantially.
P.E. has often been a great divider of pupils; those that are good at sport, and those that
are not. This created a large body of students reluctant to participate. Given P.E class is
designed to educate pupils on how to look after themselves, why is it that for so long that
children have been skipping classes?

Simply put, isolated physical activity does not suit the personalities of many people.
Thankfully knowledge surrounding physical education has improved greatly. The focus on
discipline and competition has shifted to a focus on participation, engagement, leadership
and teamwork. Grading a student on their physical abilities will neither encourage them or
help them. Educating a student to work as a team to reach goals is something that will help
for the rest of their life. Additionally, the physical elements of P.E have also evolved. With
greater research and knowledge, fitness has become focused on a wider variation of
activities that use different movements and techniques.
P.E today also emphasises the value of exercise in physical and mental well-being. This is
because countless studies have shown that exercise can help overcome depression and
improve concentration and work performance. All this in addition to the good routines that
this can carry into adult life.
The study of physical education is also essential for physical fitness, and physical fitness is
a human need. The focus of modern P.E is on educating pupils on how to assess their own
fitness and the importance of fitness on their future.
With today’s obesity problem, it has never been more important for children to enjoy sport.
Making exercise fun and educational will help pupils to prolong their commitment. This is
where inspiresport gained inspiration. We provide tours for children to iconic stadiums not
as a touring activity, but as sporting one. We believe that getting children involved in
memorable exercise will inspire them for years to come.
Another great example of this is The Daily Mile UK. This incentive gets primary children out
of the classroom to complete a daily mile. The incentive states that by the fourth week,
every child should be able to jog or run the full mile. This progression is something that will
stick with children and inspire them to exercise to see improvement.
The Daily Mile isn’t sport and it isn’t P.E. However, incorporating this into your teaching plan
will certainly educate children on the benefits of physical exercise. When it comes to the
sports you teach during lessons, focus is moving away from competitive sport to activities
that can be enjoyed and completed by all.
Geoff Bannister from Speedminton Australia says: “My personal experience working with
PE Teachers for the last 12 years has been introducing a modified racket sport called
Speedminton into over 3500 Australian Primary and Secondary schools. The new
generation of PE Teacher is looking for activities that:
“1. Are inclusive and relatively user-friendly (increased screen time activities have produced
a drop off in fundamental motor skills)
“2. Not solely focus on competition or winning games (Speedminton can be played
competitively, but more often provides fun games and drills that develop skills suitable to
the age and ability of the individual)
“3. Allow the entire class to be active and involved at the same time (many of the traditional
sports enable “star” players to control large segments of the play (e.g. bowling or batting in
Cricket or running with the ball in Rugby or Basketball)
“4. New and fun; kids like anything that’s edgy and that they may have not seen before
(they also need instant gratification and being able to play Speedminton well almost from
the outset means they “buy in” to the activity).”
Other great examples of how P.E. has changed are the rising popularity of physically active
school trips. In secondary schools, these can be substantial trips (such as skiing) or less
demanding options (such as surfing). In primary schools, this can be trips away, such
as Urdd Cymru activity centres like the Llangrannog summer camp in Wales.