Page 1258 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 3 April 2019
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
The policy goes on to require that:
Schools will make reasonable adjustments to provide all students the opportunity to access and participate in physical education.
Principals will ensure physical education and sport events are supervised by an individual with appropriate qualifications and suitable experience to manage the activity.
We often hear that the school day and the school curriculum are becoming ever more crowded. I must say that I have sympathy with that view. Class teachers, at primary school level especially, already have a very eclectic and hectic day teaching a range of subjects and skills without factoring in what sporting expertise they can also deliver.
School principals have a difficult time balancing the class teacher skill sets required, along with student cohorts on a year-to-year basis in order to meet the Education Directorate’s sports policy. They have to find a primary school teacher that has both the academic skill sets the school needs as well as appropriate qualifications and suitable experience to manage sport and PE activities.
So why is this important? There is a wealth of research that highlights the benefits and importance of physical education for children. There is ample evidence that shows that Australian children are increasing in mean average weights, and not in a healthy way. Changing lifestyles and the growth in technology have changed our children’s play. The neighbourhood street cricket team, the backyard footy or front yard basketball hoop, common family activities in the 1960s, have made way for sedentary indoor activities like computer games and internet surfing.
A 2017 report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, AIHW, gave some alarming statistics, concluding that the percentage of overweight children aged two to five in 2015 had doubled since 1995. This has implications for adult life health, with a higher prevalence of obesity-related chronic conditions developing at younger ages. This will, in turn, lead to higher health costs.
Another 2017 AIHW report showed that just over a quarter, 27 per cent of children and adolescents aged five to 17, were overweight or obese, with 20 per cent overweight but not obese, and seven per cent obese. The Australian Bureau of Statistics indicates that boys and girls in that age group had similar percentages of overweight and obesity combined—28 per cent of boys and 27 per cent of girls—and obesity alone affects seven per cent of boys and eight per cent of girls.
For children aged two to four, one in five—that is, 20 per cent—were overweight or obese, with similar percentages of boys, seven per cent, and girls, nine per cent, in that age group being obese. The AIHW also reported that various physical activities have positive health impacts, including reducing body fat and reducing the likelihood of gaining weight. On the other hand, not expending enough energy can contribute to energy imbalance, weight gain and obesity.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video