Nearly half of primary school pupils are leaving school without “basic movement skills” to engage in physical activity, teachers have claimed in a survey conducted by Virgin Active, the University of Bedfordshire and 400 primary school teachers from across the country.
Teachers also said more than one in three children dislike exercise by the time they leave primary school and believe 42 per cent of children don’t enjoy PE lessons.
The findings follow reports that just a tiny minority of parents are spotting obesity in their children and warnings that they are getting childhood obesity “terribly wrong”.
The survey also revealed teachers believe 39 per cent of children across the UK leave primary school with a negative attitude towards being physically active.
Worryingly, a third of teachers said they lack confidence when it comes to teaching PE, while over a quarter said they don’t feel adequately qualified to teach the subject and more than half want more professional development opportunities for PE. The vast majority of teachers, or 88 per cent, say they recognise PE is as important as the other subjects they teach.
To help tackle the issue, Virgin Active have launched Active Inspiration, a five year-long programme working with charities such as the Youth Sports trust and various educational partners.
Source: Virgin Active