THE three Rs, reading, writing and arithmetic, were always seen as the foundations of our education system, but I’d like to see the addition of a fourth – recreation, or, to be more precise, physical recreation.
On Thursday, at the Scottish Women in Sport conference in Edinburgh, we will discuss the role education plays in delivering sport.
Researching speakers for our third conference has been fascinating. “Education – is it the key to participation in sport?” I have learned so much about the good work that is being carried out. The topic is interesting and perhaps a little controversial, as everyone has their own idea on where sport should be delivered; is it in school or out in the community?
We will kick off with an address from Aileen Campbell, the new minister for public health and sport. She will be joined by an array of expert guests, who will provide an insight into the work being carried out to help encourage more participation in sport and in particular how this differs by gender. Starting with the youngest age group, three to five-year-olds, Alison Mackie, from Clackmannanshire Council, will ask the question: Does Gender Matter?
Thomas Dowens, who is PE development officer with Education Scotland, will give us an insight into the Better Movers and Thinkers programme, which shows the benefits of children being active, particularly in an academic setting. He will also advise on the benefits of developing physical literacy in the early years.
Elaine Wylie, the founder of The Daily Mile, will also be joining us. The scheme shows the simplest of ideas can have the greatest impact, but I doubt Elaine thought the impact of her idea would spread as far as it has, taking her on to TV last year to pick up a Pride of Britain award as Teacher of the Year.
Clearly understanding that we are in the midst of a childhood obesity crisis, with more than a third of our children overweight by the time they leave primary school, Elaine put her thoughts into action and implemented a required daily walk for pupils at St Ninian’s Primary in Stirling. The Daily Mile was implemented by most Scottish schools and even made a splash across the Border.
In the afternoon, we will hear from Jonny Penman, a primary PE specialist for Glasgow City Council, Hayley Barr, a Fit for Girls national trainer, and Rebecca Gracey, education development manager at Netball Scotland.
Next up will be Scotland’s Physical Education Champion, Dr Andrew Murray who, among other feats, ran seven ultra-marathons on seven continents in under a week. He will tell us why regular physical activity is the best present we can give our children and young people.
We will finish with a panel debate, discussing new standardised assessments being brought in for reading, writing and numeracy in P1, P4, P7 and S3, and asking: “Why is there no requirement in there for physical literacy?”
I am really looking forward to hearing from our speakers. Tickets are still available if you would like to join us – please go to eventbrite.co.uk/e/education-the-key-to-participation-in-sport-tickets-24747407161.
Maureen McGongigle is the founder of Scottish Women in Sport
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here