As part of a four-year 459m pound investment to deliver its 2003-06 physical education, school sport and club links strategy, the UK government aims to provide 85% of pupils aged between 5 and 16 with two hours physical exercise and sport in and out of school per week. Currently 25% of schools already offer this entitlement to their pupils.
This comes alongside government efforts to have 400 partnerships between schools and specialist sports colleges up and running by 2005 (there are currently 161). Given that teachers are not always qualified to teach sport, the idea is that professional sports coaches ensure that pupils benefit from proper high quality exercise rather than ad hoc sports activities on small patches of turf as has been known to occur in some schools. Another aim is to have three quarters of schools in a school sport partnership by 2006. A prime reason for this is to increase the amount of competitions within and between schools.
As regards the sale of playing fields, the UK government says that there are strict rules on this, obliging schools that sell playing fields to prove that they have made arrangements for sports facilities elsewhere.
There is particular concern in the UK that girls' participation in sport is given no social importance. The government argues that the significant drop-out of teenage girls from any form of sport from the age of 14 onwards creates a need for teachers, sports coaches and parents to nurture a sporting teenage female culture that is "not at odds with the accepted lifestyle".
A SPRINT study on sports lessons in Germany led by Wolf-Dietrich Brettschneider sets out data in a clear signal for politicians to improve the framework for school sport. It highlights the problem of overweight children and the positive effects to be derived from quality school sport in combating the problems of overweight children and poor body co-ordination, reflexes and mobility. It also reveals that an average of 2 to 2.5 hours per week of sport already takes place within German schools and expresses concern at the low level of participation of pupils in extracurricular sports activities and the "limited" involvement of sports teachers.
The study points out that the greatest shortage of qualified sports teachers is for pupils between 6 and 16 years old - where it is most needed. It adds that one in six children is overweight, with serious consequences for an individual's development over their lifespan and the resulting costs for society.
