Can we get more kids active?

If your school has low levels of PE participation, this is certainly not a good thing for the students and can become very frustrating for a teacher.

Research shows that girls are less likely to participate in PE and that schools in deprived areas, as well as schools with high proportions of children from ethic minority backgrounds and SEN pupils, did not want to get involved.

When this is the case, it can be an uphill battle to increase the numbers and you may even feel it is down to the previous PE staff’s legacy.

However, PEAK have given you simple but affected solutions to increase activity levels.

OFFER A GREATER VARIETY OF ACTIVITIES

If you are teaching non-core PE then you can be more creative with your PE lessons.

For example, if you see that Year 6 girls are not enthusiastic about team sports, you may be able to raise participation by introducing activities like aerobics to current dance playlists or other activities that you think will appeal more to specific groups.

MAKE IT FUN

The more fun you make your PE lessons; the more students will enjoy them.

Find ways to make sections like the warm-up a little bit more fun than just running and stretching by incorporating little games or using different sports equipment.

Make students feel relaxed by making your sessions fun, this will keep the students engaged and stop them from getting bored.

A PE KIT THAT DOESN’T PUT STUDENTS OFF

There can be many issues when it comes to PE kit requirements, from the cost to comfort and also incorporating religious clothing requirements.

When deciding the PE dress code, it might help to get feedback from a sample of students to help address any kit issues that could lead to lower participation.

Sliders and designer labels are obviously not going to make the cut but it does help to get students’ opinions!

ASK STUDENTS WHAT THEY WANT TO DO

Although you might think this is a crazy idea and majority of the time they will say Dodgeball, you might also get some valuable insight into what will appeal to them more. Even if you only take one students suggestion each term, it will help them to feel more involved and engaged in PE.

POSITIVE ROLE MODELS

Having positive role models to aspire to be can help combat a variety of different reasons behind low levels of participation.

For example, girls who think that certain sports are not very feminine might be encouraged by seeing role models from the sport. This could be as simple as a Youtube clip, or even inviting a sporting guest into your school. This is one of the main factors why we at PEAK partnered up with Olympian and 2X British Champion Aly Dixon. This has been a massive success with the children in the North East schools and certainly recommend this idea. If you have any queries or you would like to see Aly in your school, please feel free to get in touch by contacting Tony@peak-sport.co.uk