PE at school

I think streaming for PE would have been great for me.
I'd have unequivocally in the D stream but at least it wouldn't have been as humiliating as being made to do "routines" inn front of the whole class.
I think I'd have learnt more too. I remember one day asking Miss Chevens how to do a forward roll round a bar - the kind that most kids did naturally in the park but I'd always been too scared to try. The sheer joy of achieving it was wonderful!!

I dreaded PE at school. I was hopeless in the gym (no sense of spacial awareness) and rubbish at team games. I was quite good at tennis, however, although tennis and other individual games weren't highly-prized by my school (in my 30s and early 40s I became a bit of a squash demon before it did my knees in ).

Within school communities, PE tends to lead to the oppression of those who can't by those who can. With maths and other cerebral subjects it was the reverse: the oppression of those who can by those who can't.

I hated PE, the teacher once wrote on my report "Dolphin will certainly never suffer from overwork in PE" I also hated the communal showers but to be honest I just hated school.

I do so agree - pupils should be streamed as to ability.
Infants and Primary - We did PE in knickers and vests quite a sight, some children didn't have vests.
We also did something called Music and Movement - it was on the radio - an even bigger disaster.
Later on aged 13/14 I got into real trouble at school for complaining about all the men who used to watch us on the outside sports/play areas - disgusting - we had thin airtex blouses summer and winter and navy blue knickers. The teacher of course had a tracksuit, coat and scarf.

I loved the traditional hockey and netball but didn't excel in either being just average. I did not enjoy all the gym stuff. When a huge trampoline was installed though I came to the fore, winning prizes. All I learned about trampolining stayed with me. My children had to take turns one at a time, and I cringe when I see groups of children bouncing about on them in gardens.

I hated school sports because of the run in one end out the other showers at school...First experience of showers and put me off for them for 35 years! I liked the sports but truants because of the showers

I didn't mind PE in primary school too much even though I was hopeless qat it. I liked swimming and rounders and gymnastics were ok but secondary school was a different matter. Hockey and netball soon lost their appeal and athletics was an absolute nightmare. I had my growth spurt late so was shorter than most of the other girls and I have had asthma and very bad hayfever all my life and medication for asthma was rudimentary until the eighties. I, in common with others, remember the ignominy of being picked last for teams and the teacher watching as we all ran round the showers. As a later developer this was not as bad for me as some but looking back was truly horrific. I am sure most PE teachers were only interested in the people who were going to represent the school. I still maintain it is the only subject which so publicly shows up those who cannot do it. A twice weekly ritual humiliation.

Never any good at sport, went to an all girls school. Which was the 1st comprehensive school in SE London, we were made to have a shower afterwards too. Very embarrassing that was you only got off if you had a period.

I absolutely loathed PE at school, with Mrs Dixon being a thorough b*^&%h who for some reason hated me and had no hesitation in showing it. I can still see her mean. pinched little face and her green Aertex shirts. I wonder if she's on here, if she's still alive, which is doubtful?

Oh, and another problem for me is that I am mildly dyspraxic (this certainly was not recognised then). The main way this translates for me is that l am very mixed handed, using my right hand for some tasks and my left hand for others meaning that I have no truly dominant hand (about 1% of the population are like this). This has actually been an advantage for my musical career but an extra disadvantage on the sports field, particularly as my natural inclination is to play all ball sports left handed. The school hockey sticks were all designed for right handed people. This was in addition to having no coordination, no athleticism and no wish to play the game in the first place. It was always freezing cold too when we did it.

Absolutely loathed PE except dance which was not as freely expressive as I would have liked. Still hate anything remotely sporty and can't really see any point in it. I too got my ankles bashed with hockey sticks and couldn't have cared less about where the ball was going. It seemed to be dominated by super competitive types crashing about and being desperate to win, whatever that means.

Interesting so many posters enjoyed dance.
We do have musical movement for younger children in schools and this is akin to lyrical dance where the children express emotions. It starts with pretending to be trees blowing in the wind in the Early Years, then moves on to the more complex stuff. The trouble is that once they get to 10 years old most of the kids no longer find it "cool" and self inhibitions kick in. It's a shame, because many teenagers could do with an expressive outlet like dance.

I used to love country dancing at primary school but we didn't do anything like that at senior school.

Country dancing was fun, and it required team work too. All good skills!

Really hated it, especially as several classes did PE at the same time in the same hall. Put me off all sports for life, except for watching of course!

From experience now, I'd like to see all schools incorporate T'ai Chi and Qigong lessons; raises heart rate, teaches balance and safe stretching and calms you down!

I hated all PE but swimming was impossible for me. Don't know why but I always swim at the same level so ok in the shallow end but swim into the deep end and I swim at the same level to the bottom so I then swim under water but I can't swim very well! My teacher made me swim from the shallow end into the deep end telling me she would have the long pole for me to grab if I needed it. I did my usual and I was actually starting to drown as the pole was nowhere near me. Luckily anothe pupil pulled me out in time. I walked up to the teacher and exploded, telling her what I thought of her and walked out to the applause of all the other pupils. I told my Mam when I got home and she said would wait and see what happened as she knew my temper and was waiting until the teacher reported me before she did anything. Nothing happened, not a thing, I never did swimming again and nothing was ever said but no-one was ever made to swim in the deep end again if they didn't want to.

As a retired teacher of PE I can assure you that it is not the subject many of us remember. There are far more options available now, such as dance, using the gym, Thai chi, yoga, badminton , etc etc.
No PE is not everybody’s favourite but we are not the healthiest nation or fittest nation . This Gov took away so much funding from quality options which were within sports development partnerships . These were very successful in both primary and secondary #school but were eliminated in the austerity cull. I played netball for 50 years , retiring at 60 and umpired until 66. I now do walking netball.
We need to encourage young people to be active and find an activity which suits them, as we do for the older community. Non participation is not the answer.

Susieq62 do you think it would be beneficial if PE teachers could do more actual classroom lessons around the topics of say exercise and well being? What I am trying to say is, does all PE have to involve physical activity, when some of the more sedentary PE adverse pupils could shine and discover ways to improve their personal fitness while sitting at the desk? They could then put this into practice in their daily lives, not just enduring an hour on the schoolsports field.

Hated PE except for Country dancing and lacrosse. For some reason I was good at that, maybe inherited the skill from my dad. Hated the showers too-I think I had the curse more often than anybody else. Tennis, for those who weren’t good at it meant endless practice against the wall. I got quite good at returning a ball bounced off the wall, but it didn’t transfer into returning a ball by another tennis player.
Children like one DGS, who are not good at team sports often do really well at individual activities like trampolining but how many schools can offer that?

PE hmmmm, my daughter would try but it just wasn't going to happen. In one year she experienced 3 fractures to her wrist , two shoulder dislocations, 4 scaphoid fractures 2 concussions. Numerous grazes, and one puncture wound to her cheek.

Despite her having physical disabilities she was expected to take part in PE lessons with no specific risk assessments or adaptations to the curriculum to meet her needs. When she reached the point when she was using Two crutches to mobilise I went into the school and offered to help find ways to adapt the curriculum for her, that was apparently unnecessary. When she moved on to a wheelchair, I'd hoped that something could be done but no, she was sent to the library.

Living in a seaside town, all the children had swimming lessons from age 7 to the end of secondary school. It would be difficult now as all the baths we used have now gone. I always wanted to play hockey but the girls in my class persuaded the teacher we should play netball. I hated netball but liked Gym We made our own gym dresses in needlework classes in first year.

My experiences of PE were similar to so many others here. Being an inner city secondary school we didn't have any playing fields, just a playground marked up for Netball and Rounders, which was what our outdoor lessons usually consisted of. Every lesson began with a 'warm up' running twice around the block in our navy PE skirts and everyday uniform blouses - no PE tops. If you forgot your PE skirt you did it in your navy knickers. We were always 'applauded' by the lads working in the factories on route.

On wet days our school hall became a Gym with wall bars, ropes, vaulting horses and all the usual equipment. In the Gym I liked most of the apparatus activities and could easily shin up a rope and hang upside down from it! In fact I could still do that until about 10 years ago much to the utter amazement of my AC.!

I wasn't often chosen for team games because I simply wasn't competitive, still aren't. I just didn't care whether my team won or lost, I just wanted to play. But I was good at Rounders and Netball and returned to play for the 'Old Girls' team after I left school.

Once a fortnight we travelled by coach for 'Games' at an outdoor sports centre about 20 miles away. I hated the journey because I got coach sick, and the embarrassing communal showers afterwards. We were supposed to learn hockey, tennis, field sports and athletics. Most of the time we were given the equipment and left to get on with it while our teacher stood on the boundary and smoked. No proper instruction. Despite that I was good at long jump and tennis.

Every July we had Sports Day at a local sports ground with a stadium. I quite enjoyed that, though as I was a Prefect I usually had an 'administrative' role. But having the whole school together resulted in enthusiastic team spirit and a great atmosphere.

Bittersweet memories of PE at school I guess.

We could pick our own activities after the first year at secondary school. Hockey, tennis etc were on offer but also ice skating, swimming etc. I loved doing ‘keep fit’ even though we each had to contribute a small amount towards the cost of an external teacher. Loved it so much we took part in displays at evenings and weekends - synchronised skipping, dance etc - to our favourite pop music of the time. Very forward-thinking, I think, as some of our group, me included, were not particularly sporty.

Hated the showers, the teeny skirts and the big navy blue knickers. Enjoyed the hockey though, that was about it. Cross country running was hateful, pouring rain and muddy fields was he'll.

Quote Callistemon21
I totally agree with you, I think learning to swim
is a more important than some of the sporty stuff
they have at school as it’s an important asset to have
in adult life better than being able to turn upside down
on the wall bars ??