ABSTRACT
The gymnasium at Harkfield comprehensive middle school was sorely in need of a touch of paint, as was the remainder of the school. Nestled between the green fields and the back-to-back terraced housing so typical of this part of England, the drab school buildings, housing the village’s 10–14-year-olds, were a constant reminder to the local inhabitants of Huddleton about the dismal state of public funding for education. Despite her physical work environment, Mrs Oliver, the PE teacher, is nevertheless feeling pleased with herself as she walks around the Year 7 class today, helping students to record fitness results, to weigh themselves and to measure ‘fatness’. For years, she’d faced jibes in the staffroom from her colleagues who questioned the status of her subject. ‘What is it you actually do in those lessons, Jackie, just kick a ball about?’ Well, not any more, she thought to herself. PE’s status in the school has risen in recent years, as Harkfield has marketed itself as a ‘healthy school’, in line with the National Healthy Schools Programme. 1 A smile transformed her face as she reflected upon the way in which she now gained kudos from her subject. How PE is enjoying the limelight! PE’s the subject which really contributes to the ‘Healthy Schools’ agenda, complementing the initiative of the monitoring system in the canteen and the extra-curricular physical activity programmes.
