Back in May I had myself a good ol’ rant about school districts in the USA that had started to remove swings and ban the game of tag because of the perceived danger and litigation risk. Well, where the Americans lead often the Australians will follow, or so it seems. According to The Age yesterday:
Year 7 students at private and government schools said in a study that they were forced to sit and talk during breaks because they were not allowed to run, play informal games or have access to sporting equipment.
Health experts said the findings were alarming given that Australia is in the grip of an obesity epidemic, with 30 per cent of children classified as overweight.
OK, so playground equipment isn’t being removed (yet) but it sounds alarmingly familiar.
First, the good news
Every playtime at North Melbourne Primary School children borrow equipment from huge wire baskets containing skipping ropes, Hula Hoops, bats and balls. The school also has a system of allocating set times for age groups to use the oval, after teachers discovered the older students were monopolising the playing field.
Eminently sensible, but over at the High Schools:
Professor Yates [Faculty of Education, University of Melbourne] said it was likely high schools had better sporting equipment than primary schools, but in terms of what students had access to outside class, the opposite was the case.
Childhood obesity expert Boyd Swinburn, of Deakin University, said fear of litigation stopped schools encouraging physical games at lunchtime but principals had to overcome that fear to help fight obesity. “This is a classic case of kids wanting to be more active, and all they’re after is a bit of support to do it,” Professor Swinburn said.
“…We’ve gone too far in wrapping our kids in cotton wool, fearing that they might get injured.”
I haven’t been able to get hold of the report from the study, so I’ve got to wonder if this isn’t a bit of a beat-up. I mean, if students are so bored surely they could be finding their own solutions? Is there anything stopping them taking along a football or basketball of their own to use at recess? One could almost argue that current high school students lack initiative and problem-solving ability.
But overall I’m inclined to agree with Professor Swinburn when he says:
The Education Department, the minister and the principals’ association need to take a leadership role here and promote the concept of active lunchtimes.
And while we’re at it, let’s encourage kids to walk or ride to school too instead of actively discouraging it.
Back in my day
When I was at high school (and let me say straight up that I have no soft-focus romantic fondness for my high school days – quite the reverse actually) there was an enthusiastic PE teacher who we really didn’t appreciate properly at the time. The “bearded ball man” (as he was known) made himself available to loan balls and other sporting gear during lunchtimes. Sometimes he also organised lunchtime competitions: basketball, soccer, volleyball — even European handball and korfball! In retrospect, I think this guy considered it a core part of his duties—he took the idea of Physical Education literally. I wonder if such initiatives would be appreciated (at least by the parents and other teaching staff) today?
Informed?
And what of the parents? Do they know that their kids are inactive and bored? And if so, do they agree with it? Do they really want their precious little darlings to sit around all day on their increasingly fat arses? Or would they rather their kids engage in a bit of schoolyard rough-and-tumble, and live with the odd skunned knee or muddied school uniform? Judging by the number of parents who deliver Junior right to the school gate in oversized urban assault vehilces, you’ve got to wonder!
But I know where I stand: risk skunned knees any day…
Discussion
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