A leading UCFB academic played his part in the recent publication of a parliamentary report demanding that a government fund be relaunched to enable primary school children to get better provision for Physical Education.
The report from the All-Party Parliamentary Group on a Fit and Healthy Childhood states that children being educated in a ‘physical sense’ is as ‘important and life-enhancing as being able to read or do maths.’
The report comes on the back of Dr. Gerald Griggs, UCFB Etihad Campus’s Head of Academics, giving a speech to the group in the Houses of Parliament in September, alongside a number of other academics, to give his views on the £1.2 billion fund – a sum shared between all primary schools in England following the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games to enhance opportunities in PE and sport for children.
The report debates the impact of the funding on young people since 2013 and collates evidence from across the sector to consider its future post 2018.
Key recommendations from the report also include:
The Primary PE and Sport Premium to be relaunched under the name of the ‘Primary Physical Education and Activity Premium’;
PE to be elevated to Core status within the curriculum;
Schools to be held to account for the way in which they adhere to fund spending guidance and the effectiveness of their spend;
Qualified teachers to become core deliverers of primary PE, supported (but not replaced) by a wider workforce.
Commenting on the report and his input, Gerald said: “My research highlighted significant concerns that years of spending have gone largely unaccounted for and what is more the future for primary Physical Education looks unsustainable and worse than what we have now. I am delighted that my voice and others in the profession are now being heard so that a better, sustainable future can be built.”
Helen Clark, lead author of the report added: “The 2012 Olympic Games was a beacon of hope for the future of our country. For that beacon to be eternal, the legacy of the fund must be to ensure that we all accept and most importantly, understand, that being active and educated in a physical sense is as important and ultimately life-enhancing as being literate and numerate. This is an opportunity to break the cycle.”
