What’s interesting within this discussion is how all of us, whichever side of the fitness testing debate we sit on, want the same – for every child to grow and flourish through positive experiences in a physical education- to develop holistically – and to build life skills.
There has been much said about the potential for negatively impacting children through school-based fitness testing in these last few weeks – and I agree with much of it.
How It Was
I went to secondary school in the early 1990s. I recall fitness testing lessons in which less physically competent children were exposed. These PE experiences were surely damaging to these children. Perhaps more empathetic than many of the other more able children in my class, I remember vividly the feelings of low self-worth on these children’s’ faces.
Would I use these old-school fitness tests in mainstream PE lessons today? No. Do I want every child to be aware of their own physical development? Yes.
Before I left full-time teaching to support more schools, I transformed PE in both state and independent school settings. I didn’t place much focus on fitness testing then – in part I think this was because I had faith in the PE teachers in the department’s I led and in our wider PE programs. On reflection, I believe we would have made a greater impact on every child’s physical development with regular, inclusive fitness testing – particularly for the least physically competent children.
How It Can Be
We adapt the language focus from ‘fitness testing’ to ‘monitoring physical development’. As this is our goal. I will now attempt to break down this phrase into its constituent parts.
Fitness or Physical?
I have written before about how when we unlock physical competence (what we can do with our physical bodies) we land on physical fitness (amongst other things). I have always argued for the importance of supporting physical development in a physical education. I’m not sure anyone can disagree with me here.
Testing or Monitoring?
This is more contentious. But children benefit from knowing where they are at physically. They benefit from knowing the progress they are making (and celebrating this). And they benefit from knowing if they are not making progress. Teachers, school leaders, parents and carers should be aware of these things.
Short-term honesty hurts less than long-term dishonesty.
From hospital waiting lists, to crime rates, to economic growth, monitoring exists where progress matters and is at risk of not happening without effective intervention. Increasing our understanding of the tangible impact of PE programs on every child’s ACTUAL physical development creates accountability.
Accountability here matters. It matters for developing physical competence and its links to physical literacy, for supporting physical and mental health and well-being, for improving posture, alertness and wider academic learning and it matters for building resilience in every child.
Three Short Case Studies
1. A child in our NHS CEW program’s fitness, physical competence and movement confidence have all increased dramatically through a greater awareness of what they can and cannot yet do with their physical body. By their own admission, supported by their parents, this child is now happier, healthier and more active than before they started on this journey.
2. The least physically competent child in a class (by some way) has made incredible physical progress. They are acutely aware of their progress and celebrate every step with their class teacher. Their parents are hugely appreciative of the school’s physical movement program. They see how this program is building movement confidence and supporting wider physical literacy in their child. Progressing at their own level, this child is learning first hand how regular physical effort is helping them become a better mover. They are now more engaged and motivated in PE than they were in their earlier school years.
3. A very able child has pushed and challenged themself more than ever due to an increased awareness of what they can do with their physical body and what they want to be able to do. With clear direction and greater purpose, this child is now much faster, stronger and more athletic than they were.
Summary
The children in these three case studies would all have made less physical progress if their development was not monitored as one part of an inclusive and purposeful movement program. Such is their wider environment, in two of these cases, I believe these children would have regressed physically.
All three children are also now more physically resilient and willing to fail.
I can evidence so many positive school-based and NHS CEW clinic case studies. I have significant year group and key stage wide longitudinal data on every child across multiple schools to support these findings. When done well, monitoring physical development as one part of an inclusive movement program fuels positive behaviour change – both for the individual and for the wider school culture.
To those who disagree with this position, I invite you to observe Gymrun in action.
