Written answers

Tuesday, 3 May 2011

Department of Education and Skills

Physical Education

9:00 pm

Photo of Sandra McLellanSandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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Question 259: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to ensure that school children receive the recommended 120 minutes per week of physical education. [6191/11]

Photo of Ruairi QuinnRuairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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It is my belief that a well planned Physical Education programme has a vitally important role to play in a broad and balanced curriculum for our primary and second level students. At primary level, Physical Education is one of seven curriculum areas within the revised Primary School Curriculum launched in 1999 and implemented on a phased basis over the period to 2008. Physical Education was implemented in 2005/6 supported by a national programme of professional development for teachers. The curriculum includes six broad strands featuring Athletics, Dance, Gymnastics, Games, Outdoor and adventure activities and Aquatics, and is based on a recommended teaching timeframe of one hour per week.

In accordance with the Rules and Programme for Secondary Schools, all second level schools should provide Physical Education as part of the curriculum. The programme that each school plans and delivers should be based on my Department's approved syllabuses and the teaching hours should be registered on the school timetable. In addition to PE, the importance of healthy lifestyles and physical exercise is also featured as part of the Social Personal and Health Education Programme which is a mandatory part of the curriculum in primary schools and in junior cycle.

Apart from the formal curricula, schools take a range of measures to encourage physical activity among students during the school day and many provide extensive, broad-based programmes of co-curricular physical activities that are highly rewarding for both pupils and teachers alike. In particular, schools play a major role in nurturing and promoting the involvement of students in sporting activities in the wider community. Sports organisations such as the Gaelic Athletic Association, Basketball Ireland, the Football Association of Ireland provide extensive opportunities for such participation.

The achievement of a minimum of 30 minutes dedicated physical activity per day recommended in the Task Force on Obesity is unrealistic in the context of a number of factors: The length of the school day and the challenge to cover all the subjects in the curriculum adequately. Any changes to the length of the school day would require negotiation with the teachers' unions allied with the commitment of significant additional resources. The necessity to use games/sports facilities to provide for all pupils in each school. There are limitations to the numbers that can use some resources at any one time. The fact that primary school pupils have just half an hour for lunch and need to spend at least half of that time eating a proper lunch.

It is important to realise that children spend just 20% of their waking hours at school and so their level of physical activity during the rest of the week in just as important. Indeed, the 'State of the Nation's Children 2010' report found that children in Ireland are doing well on physical activity, ranking first across 40 countries in being physically active for at least 60 minutes per day on more than 4 days per week.

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