This information which is from the importance of P.E is the National Curriculum justification to why health is included within the NCPE. It justifies it as trying to make children understand what being healthy is, promoting living a healthy lifestyle outside of school. There are underlining reasons that HE is included within the NCPE. There is the major issue within this country surrounding children is inactivity. This inactivity is linked with the governments growing concern about the issue of childhood obesity and children being overweight. This view is shared by Flintoff “Over the last decade or so, young people have increasingly become a focus of UK sport policy, fuelled in part by concerns such as the increasing levels of childhood obesity and inactivity” (2003, p.1). The concern is based upon the link between obesity, in-activity and it resulting in health related medical issues and diseases. This link then goes on to have an effect on the UK’s National Health Service, costing more and more money due to what is believed to result in more patients suffering health related diseases and the calculated future costs. The idea is quite simple and is what is implemented within the NCPE. Educate children of health, increase levels of participation in sport, increase opportunities for participation in sport, increase enjoyment and to get children to take this with them throughout life to reduce the levels of obesity, overweight issues, inactivity and obesity to reduce future cost from on the NHS.
PESSYP
The PE and Sport Strategy for Young People is a strategy aiming to “get more children and young people taking part in high quality PE and sport will be reached through the delivery of the five hour offer” (Youth Sport Trust, 2008)
In relation to health the view is the benefits will be increased involvement in a healthy, active lifestyle. The way that the PESSYP wishes to reach this target is by “Every young person should have, access to regular competitive sport, coaching to improve their skills and enjoyment, a choice of different sports, pathways to clubs and elite sport and opportunities to lead and volunteer in sport” (The PE and Sport Strategy for Young People, 2008).
The PE & Sport Strategy for Young People has ten strands. These strands give young people better opportunities to access the high quality PE and Sport, they are-
- Club Links
- Coaching
- Competition
- Continuing Professional Development
- Disability
- Extending Activities
- Gifted and Talented
- Infrastructure
- Leadership and Volunteering
- Swimming
(The PE and Sport Strategy for Young People, 2008)
Club Links
Club link is one of the 10 PESSYP programmes. The purpose of club link is described as “to strengthen the link between schools and local sports clubs and, in so doing, increase the number of children and young people who become members of accredited sports clubs” (Club School Links, 2006). “Strengthening the links between clubs and schools will help to create a culture of participation from a young age” (Club School Links, 2006).
This is basically saying that linking schools and Sports Clubs will provide children with more opportunities to participate in sport. This then links to the PESSCL where the aim is to increase participation to a minimum of 2 hours each week on high quality PE and school sport to 85%. By making the link and providing more opportunities for children to participate it should increase the levels of participation to the desired target of 85%. The strategy describes it as “The national network of school sport partnerships will provide more opportunities for children and young people as they move from school sport to club sport” (Club School Links, 2006). It then states how it achieves this “We are keen to ensure a smooth and natural transition from school to club organised sport” (Club School Links, 2006).
This strategy can be linked to HE, the view is that if these links are made with schools and sports clubs and participation levels are increased to 85% then this will, help improve health in children, decrease levels of obesity and educated children on health and a healthy lifestyle.
Alternatives
In this section I will be identifying and explaining alternatives to the NCPE in relation to health. An alternative to the UK’s NCPE I have identified is New Zealand NCPE.
The first thing different about Health Education in New Zealand is the importance and emphasis placed on it within the curriculum. I identify this by the UK having Health Education within Physical Education, where as New Zealand it is identified as ‘Health and Physical Education’. This directly gives me the indication that Health Education plays a major role within their NC compared to the UK’s. It seems as though so much emphasis and importance is placed upon HE that it separates it from physical education and is its own subject. The curriculum states “Health education incorporates nutrition, drug education, sexuality education, interpersonal skills, family relationships, and community and environmental health. Physical education includes dance, movement, education outside the classroom, sports, and physical recreation” (The essential Learning areas, 2007). This shows that Health education is used almost independently as a subject and compared to the UK’s Health Education it promotes a lot. I understand from this compared to the UK’s Health Education it covers a lot more in what it is trying to educate the children in terms of different areas of health.
I believe that New Zealand’s Health Education could provide the UK NC with a good alternative to what they are trying to aim for. Not only do they place more importance on the subject, they have broader aims on what is trying to be achieved and also ways of measuring whether children have achieved this. The curriculum has 27 intended outcomes just on health education to measure whether children learn sufficiently an Example being “establish priorities for policies to raise standards of health across the population” (The essential Learning areas, 2007).
National Curriculum of Physical Education Outside of School
The NCPE has concentrated on HE, this is not only in school but also outside and further on in life. I can recognize this when they state “school helps them make informed choices about lifelong physical activity” (Physical education, 2007) The idea is that young people learn about a healthy lifestyle, exercise, wellbeing and fitness activities and take this throughout their life to ensure personal good health. The national curriculum is meant give information to young people and for the children to put this into practice throughout both childhood and beyond. I personally believe that it does give children the opportunity to take it with them outside of school, if the curriculum is followed correctly then HE should be taken into life just as much as any other subject like maths. I do believe that there is problems with HE and that children should have designated lessons to learn about HE. And I also believe that the NCPE should place greater emphasis on HE like the New Zealand NCPE example I gave. With these concepts I believe it will equip children better in the Education of Health outside of school.
Word Count 1642
References
Club School Links (2006) Recognising and achieving effective links
between schools and sports clubs. Available at: (Accessed: 16th march 2010)
Flintoff, A. (2003) ‘The Sport Co-Ordinator Programme: Changing the role of the Physical Education teacher’, Sport, Education and society, 8 (2) pp. 1
NCPE_review_A_Neville (2008) Introduction to NCPE 2008. Available at:
(Accessed: 16th march 2010)
Physical education (2007) Programme of study for key stage 3 and attainment target. Available at:
(Accessed: 16th march 2010)
The essential Learning areas (2007) Health and Physical Well-being Hauora. Available at:
(Accessed: 16th march 2010)
The PE and Sport Strategy for Young People (2008) A guide to delivering the five hour offer. Available at:
(Accessed: 16th march 2010)
Youth Sport Trust (2006) PESSYP Professional Development Programme
(Accessed: 16th march 2010)
