PE is as vital as any other subject ... schools should teach it every day
Rugby World Cup hero JASON ROBINSON on the power of sport – and his new app to get kids active
JASON ROBINSON won the World Cup with England in 2003, scoring his side’s only try in the final against Australia in Sydney.
He became England’s first black captain and earned 51 caps, as well as featuring on two Lions tours, having previously represented his country in rugby league.
Robinson now helps deliver sport in schools with his JR Sports Stars programme and has launched an app, PE Pro, which assists teachers with lesson plans.
As the 46- year- old tells Sportsmail’s DAVID COVERDALE, he is also on a taskforce working alongside the Association for PE, who are lobbying the Government to ensure sport is central to the school day...
IWAS inspired by a PE teacher to get into rugby and I went on to do some amazing things in both codes. Knowing the power of PE and the difference it can make, it is something I am really passionate about.
I am on a taskforce which is lobbying the Government with some of the key messages to promote PE within schools.
The Government guidelines are for children to get a minimum of two hours of PE a week. But some are struggling to even get one.
The reality is it should be taught every day. PE needs to be seen as just as important as other subjects. It needs to be a core subject in the curriculum.
It is the only subject that looks after your physical and mental health. It releases positive chemicals and clears your mind. It gives you more focus and energy. It has a massive impact on the all-round development of children.
The schools that are doing PE right and are putting it in the heart of the day are seeing massive improvements in academic results.
But it can also help with behaviour, especially with some of those children that are not as engaged in the academic side of school.
I don’t think I ever passed a test in my life. I didn’t do very well at school. But sport taught me a lot of things that I now use in business that have made me excel. It gives you skills for future life.
It is important we start kids young. Our children need to get into better habits. When it comes to obesity, we are one of the worst in Europe.
I know with my own kids, sometimes the only interaction they get with their mates is through gaming. They can sit for hours upon hours playing these games and it is getting them into bad habits.
If you are sat doing nothing for long periods and not getting any exercise, we will all be paying for it. When these children become adults, we will have to address even more obesity.
There are barriers for some kids, especially in deprived areas, to access extra- curricular activity. The only place these children can get regular physical exercise is in schools.
For example, you might not be able to afford to join a football team outside of school due to the subscription fees or the travel.
We have been pushing PE for years, but Covid has brought a lot more restrictions inside and outside of school. With clubs closing down, it is putting even more pressure on kids.
We are trying to get more and more children into sports but some of the current restrictions mean a lot of them won’t come back into grassroots sport. They will stop going to the local rugby, netball or football club. This could have a massive impact on sports and on health.
It is going to take an awful lot of work to try and get kids back into good habits, getting out in fresh air, socialising and being physically active.
I don’t think people realise the wider impact it is going to have — amateur sports feed everything else.
If you do not have young people going into clubs and learning skills, the top level will be affected because we won’t have as many kids coming through.
But it is not just about trying to find the next World Cup winner. One of the key things is simply getting kids active, healthy and into good habits.
I set up my own company a couple of years ago and we go into schools and try and inspire kids through my own story. We teach kids, train the teachers and provide equipment.
We now have an app to help primary schools and teachers deliver PE. It has over 250 videos which explain different exercises, games and sports — all on a tablet or phone.
Quite often teachers aren’t qualified enough to deliver quality PE. You can lead PE by doing a six-hour course within the year.
You would never be able to teach maths that way and often some of the teachers do need help.
We can’t get round to every school and help with teaching PE but this is a way of having a resource.