Welsh Assembly to make PE and school sport priorities in efforts to get children active

Welsh schoolchildren will be offered at least two hours of physical education each week, after a Welsh Assembly committee made a commitment to make it a minimum statutory requirement for schools to provide 120 minutes of weekly PE.

The move is one of 20 recommendations outlined by the National Assembly for Wales' Health, Social Care and Sport Committee, which published its report this week.

Other key themes include giving physical education a greater priority in the new curriculum and a greater emphasis placed on physical activity in the Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programme.

The report also calls to ensure that all secondary schools regularly consult pupils on the choice and range of physical activities available to them and ensure their views are taken into account.

"A statutory requirement of 120 minutes of PE, provided by well-trained teaching staff and assessed as part of the Estyn framework (the education and training inspectorate for Wales) would raise the bar in terms of the opportunities and experiences being provided to young people," said Sarah Powell, Sport Wales CEO.

"The committee's reference to a quality physical activity experience alongside this statutory requirement for PE is hugely significant."

Other highlights from the report includes the need for public bodies to work together more effectively, and also acknowledge the important role of parents in influencing their children's physical activity.

There are also calls for an agreed national measurement framework for physical activity levels and fitness, greater investment in facilities and promotion of female role models.

To read the full report, click here.