A Scottish Government pledge that all school children receive a guaranteed minimum of two hours of physical education each week is apparently not being met in all of our Dundee Secondary Schools.
In May 2007, the SNP promised parents that their children would be guaranteed two hours of PE each week with a specialist PE Teacher. Parents in Dundee will be disappointed to learn that in July 2010, in response to a Freedom of Information request, it was revealed that two secondary school in Dundee were only meeting half of this recommended minimum provision for pupils in S1-4. This is despite, Education Secretary, Mike Russell's insistence that,
'The Scottish Government, together with our partners in CoSLA and local authorities, are committed to young people throughout Scotland receiving two hours quality PE every week.'
Perhaps more worrying is that when pupils move up into in S5 and S6, PE and sport become entirely optional and many pupils opt out.
Two hours of PE is supposedly embedded within the Curriculum for Excellence, which, according to the government has been adopted in all schools from August this year.
Will Education Director, Jim Collins, now confirm whether any improvements have been made to the timetabling of PE in our Secondary schools in the new school year? More specifically can he guarantee that every S1 - S4 pupil will be timetabled for two hours of quality Physical Education every week?
