Inspiration and inclusivity key to halt decline of PE participation in schools

With the number of PE teachers dwindling, investment on the slide, and more children choosing streaming devices over sport, fears are growing over the development of the UK’s next generation of Sports Stars.

A new study by Sports Direct has shown a dwindling interest in sport amongst school aged children, as three times as many would rather watch a streaming service (48%) than play sport (16%) while twice as many kids chose playing computer games (56%) over playing sports (27%) when asked to list their favourite pastime.

The data is released to coincide with the launch of Sports Slam, a new initiative by Sports Direct, which will provide new equipment to the first 1,500 schools that apply to the programme. The programme has been designed with inclusivity, fun and discovery in mind and aims to help children find their new favourite sport by providing playground-friendly twists on classic sports in the current syllabus. Whether it’s shooting hoops, crawling under nets, or acing a serve – each sport will allow kids to both try new things and learn new skills together.

Aston spoke to PE teacher and 2021 UK Active’s Active School winner Joe Danquah.

Photo by Sporlab on Unsplash