Pros and Cons - Debbie Newman, Ben Woolgar 2014
School sport, compulsory
Section F. Culture, education and sport
Should sport form a part of compulsory education, should it be an optional extra on offer to pupils, or is it a complete waste of time and resources to have it on offer in schools? The debate is set against a backdrop of both rising obesity in the West and an increasingly stretched school timetable.
Pros
[1] A school education should involve much more than the simple acquisition of facts. All sorts of skills needed in adult life should be developed. Sport provides many of these: the value of keeping fit, teamwork and discipline in particular.
[2] Many children are unwilling to play sports simply because they have not been encouraged towards physical pursuits in the past: toddlers who are left to play or read in their bedrooms by their parents instead of being sent to play outside with friends. These children, when older, may choose to avoid sports if given the chance. In fact, if forced to take part, they may well discover a surprising enthusiasm and talent for certain sports. Many notable sportsmen and sportswomen started their careers this way.
[3] Exercise is necessary to keep the body and mind healthy. While children are naturally more fit and energetic than adults, they need exercise to let off steam and to sleep properly; it is also advisable that they are prepared for a habit of regular exercise when reaching adulthood. It has been shown that academic work is generally better when coupled with exercise.
[4] Most aspects of school life are compulsory and the enforced teaching of anything is not usually regarded as controversial. Students accept sport as part of the curriculum just as they accept other mandatory subjects. Many students have no enthusiasm or talent for other subjects such as mathematics, but that does not stop us mandating them in the interest of the student.
[5] Most sports also entail social programmes and those who have chosen not to play sports miss out on these; they frequently feel excluded from events and social circles they would actually like to take part in.
[6] School sport need not be expensive. It could involve taking a football to the local park or running races through local fields. Many schools invest more in sport because they see the benefits for motivating their pupils and producing better rounded students with higher levels of concentration and discipline.
[7] Obesity levels are on the increase in the Western world and child obesity is a particular problem. Obesity can cause heart disease, strokes, diabetes and other serious health conditions. It is imperative that we do all we can to encourage healthy lifestyles and schools are the best way of forming positive habits in the young.
Cons
[1] There are far too many ’life skills’ for all of them to be satisfactorily taught in school. An alternative to sport in many schools is involvement in charity work, where students visit local residents with special needs — surely these aspects of good citizenship should also be taught? When something is enforced, it tends to engender resentment which undoes the benefits it may bring when voluntarily chosen. Sport should therefore be optional, although encouraged.
[2] Students who start school sports as inexperienced, reluctant participants and then go on to shine are very few in number. Most of the resources — especially the attention of games teachers — are devoted to children who are already very sporty. Beginners are therefore ignored and lose enthusiasm. Or worse, they are bullied for their sporting ineptitude and put off sport for life.
[3] The fitness vogue of recent years has meant that adults are certainly aware of the value of exercise whether they choose to do it or not. They are more likely to continue sports they enjoy and have chosen to play. Many adults choose to get the benefits of exercise through using a gym rather than playing sport. If children are over-energetic, they will run around anyway.
[4] Most aspects of school are compulsory only for younger ages; teenagers develop discriminatory abilities that give them clear likes and dislikes. Curricula recognise this and allow students to choose between optional subjects. Those that are enforced are frequently resented.
[5] The competition of sport engenders an inevitable elitism among the best participants; poor sports players who take part are ridiculed far more than those who do not play them in the first place.
[6] Sport is one of the most expensive parts of a school curriculum. Many schools have facilities such as sports halls, playing fields or swimming pools. Almost all sports require special equipment and a high ratio of well-qualified staff to ensure safety. This money could be better spent, within an overstretched budget, on textbooks, computers, more staff and other investments that will advance pupils’ academic achievement.
[7] Neither child nor adult obesity can be tackled through a couple of hours of school PE lessons. The time would be better spent on health awareness classes coupled with cookery lessons so that people have the knowledge about what they should eat and the skills to prepare it.
Possible motions
This House would make school sport voluntary.
This House believes that all students should take part in compulsory PE.
Related topics
Child curfews
Obese children, compulsory attendance at weight-loss camps
School uniform