They want to make PE a 'main subject': why children need it

The authors of The Conversation - physical education researchers and former teachers - say PE should be a key part of the school day, not 'two hours a week for ticking boxes'. They remind us that regular physical activity helps children's health, mood, confidence, socialising and can have a positive impact on academic performance.

The occasion for discussion is money for school PE in England. According to media reports, two departments - the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Education - were considering cutting funding. Health later reportedly dropped the idea, but the story itself showed again that PE is often not considered a priority.

At the same time, the authorities are promoting a new system of school sports: they want to link schools with specialised sports organisations and fix the norm of at least two hours of activity per week. But the authors believe that this is not enough and is similar to the old schemes of "school sports partnerships".

What they propose:

• movement every day, rather than once or twice a week;

• more activity options, not just team competitions - to suit those who don't like results-based sport;

• qualified PE teachers and normal conditions;

• taking into account children's opinions: what they like and what discourages them in lessons.

The authors emphasise that for some children, school is sometimes the only place where they can do sport at all (e.g. because of poverty or domestic responsibilities). So PE, they argue, should not be a 'secondary subject' but an important part of school life.

However, the study is relevant not only for the UK.

In Ukraine, two things are happening to PE at the same time: at the level of rules it remains compulsory and "normative", but at the level of reality it is being heavily reshaped by the war (security, destroyed schools, distance learning, lack of halls).

What is "on the books"

• PE lessons are compulsory and must be held at least 3 times a week - this is explicitly stated in the law on PE and sport.

• As part of the NUSH reform, the MES is updating the content: there are model programmes for grades 5-9(2024 version), which emphasise competences, motivation for movement and health, and include a wartime context (e.g. wording about readiness for civic/constitutional duty).

• The MES also issues methodological recommendations for the school year for teaching PE (including 2024/25), where martial law conditions and educational losses are taken into account separately.

What is "on the ground" because of the war

• In many schools PE teaching is not systematic: some children study full-time, some - mixed or distance learning, and the MES regularly updates the rules of distance learning under martial law (School Offline Policy and new requirements/specialities).

• The problem of infrastructure is also serious: thousands of educational institutions have been damaged or destroyed since the full-scale invasion began, and this affects gyms and grounds, among other things (part of the reconstruction projects are just about "getting schools back to normal").

• Humanitarian programmes work in parallel: for example, UNICEF describes cases where gyms are restored/insulated so that children can exercise and psychologically "breathe out".

What is being done to make sport at school "live"?

• The state and partners actively promote mass school sports through competitions: the project "Play-o-play: all-Ukrainian school leagues" is already going on for seasons and expanding the types of sports