Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 17 April 2013
78. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the way he plans to tackle the low average rate of physical education allocation time in schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17439/13]
View answerCurrently all primary and post primary schools provide P.E. as part of the curriculum and approved syllabuses are in place. The recommended time allocation for P.E. is 1 hour per week at primary level and two hours per week at post primary. This time allocation allows for the delivery of a broad and balanced P.E. programme that enables students to achieve the learning outcomes associated with this subject area.
There are other measures both within and outside of schools that complement the aims of the P.E. curriculum. These include the following: - Social Personal and Health Education (SPHE), which is mandatory at primary and as part of Junior Cycle, and which stresses the importance of regular exercise, and the need for a balanced diet as essential to physical and mental well being. - The Active School Flag, launched by my Department in 2009, which seeks to recognise schools (both primary and post primary) that provide quality P.E., co-curricular physical activity and sports programmes for their students. To date, more than 1,000 primary schools and 128 post-primary schools have registered for the programme. - Many schools provide extensive programmes of physical activities outside of school hours in conjunction with sports organisations such as the Gaelic Athletic Association, Basketball Ireland, and the Football Association of Ireland. - 'Sport for All' Day: my Department promotes the dedication of one day in the school year to encourage greater participation in sport at primary school level.
Schools are playing an important role in promoting physical activity, both through the formal curricula and also through extra curricula activities. However, their efforts must be supported and complemented by parents and the local community, and other stakeholders. In particular, parents are encouraged and expected to promote physical activity among their children outside of school hours. It is worth noting in this context that the Unicef comparative overview "Child well-being in rich countries" which was published earlier this week shows that Ireland and the United States are the only countries in which more than 25% of children report exercising for at least an hour a day.
