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PE in schools
11/05/2008
Scottish schools will be expected to offer young people a minimum of two hours of quality physical education every week under new teaching and learning guidelines to be published this week
The commitment to PE is prominent in the draft Health and Wellbeing outcomes published as part of the new teaching and learning guidance under Curriculum for Excellence.
Maureen Watt, Minister for Schools and Skills, said:
"This will give children and young people an important foundation for participation in experiences in physical activities and sport in preparation for a healthy and fulfilling lifestyle."
Physical activity and sport will take place, in addition to planned PE sessions, at break times and lunchtimes and beyond the school day.
Ms Watt continued:
"Taken together, the experiences and outcomes in physical education, physical activity and sport are intended to establish the pattern of daily physical activity which, research has shown, is most likely to lead to an active and healthy adult life."
Curriculum for Excellence aims to provide seamless education from age three to 18. It aims to ensure that all young people can be successful learners, effective contributors, confident individuals and responsible citizens.
School pupils are already seeing changes in their classrooms through the groundwork that has been ongoing since 2004. The draft outcomes provide further tools for teachers. The plans are being firmed up in this school year and in 2009/2010 all schools across Scotland will be working on delivery.
Curriculum for Excellence will shift the balance between a teaching process that is heavily dependent on content to one that values new approaches that improve pupils' understanding of what is being taught and how it can be used. This is the start of a continuous process of review to ensure that the curriculum remains up to date.