• Health and Physical Education F-10 Australian Curriculum, Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, (accessed 30 January 2020). In September 2015 the Education Council endorsed the Australian Curriculum for Foundation through Year-10 in eight learning areas: (1) English; (2) Mathematics; (3) Science; (4) Humanities; (5) Social Sciences; (6) The Arts; (7) Technologies; and (8) Health and Physical Education.
  • Tracked changes to F-10 Australian Curriculum, Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, (September 2015). This document tracks the changes that were made in 2015 in each curriculum area.

• Australian Capital Territory Health, Physical Education and Sport Policy, Department of Education and Training, (February 2017). The ACT Department of Education and Training. mandates a minimum of 25-30 minutes per day of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity as part of planned physical education and sport programs for students in K-6, and 150 minutes per week of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity for students in grades 7 through 10.

• Sport and Physical Activity Policy, NSW Department of Education, (last updated 4 April 2017). Students in Years K-10 participate in a minimum of 150 minutes of planned moderate with some vigorous physical activity across the school week. This time includes planned weekly sport. Schools are also encouraged to provide Year 11 and 12 students weekly access to a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate with some vigorous physical activity and sport.
• NSW Physical Literacy Continuum K-10. The Continuum is comprised of four interrelated aspects: movement competencies; tactical movement; motivation and behavioural skills; and personal and social attributes. It outlines the skills and attributes students develop as they progress from Kindergarten to Year 10. More information—and resources to support teachers and schools to implement the Continuum, including documents, case study and programming examples, posters, and videos—are available on the NSW Department of Education Physical Literacy webpages.

• Northern Territory physical activity requirements for schools, Department of Education, (last updated 10 July 2019). Schools in the Northern Territory are required to provide at least two hours of physical activity in the curriculum each school week for students in the primary and secondary years.

• Physical activity in state schools, Queensland Department of Education, (Last updated 12 March 2019). The department recognises the importance of physical activity in the health and wellbeing of children and young people. All children and young people need to be physically active; and physically active children and young people are more likely to become physically active adults. Regular physical activity enhances students' ability to learn and supports student health and wellbeing. Schools, through effective organisation and delivery, are well placed to maximise participation, enjoyment and skill development for all students including those with diverse needs, abilities and interests.

• Curriculum taught in South Australia, Department of Education, (accessed 31 January 2020). An overview of curriculum taught to South Australia students from birth to year 10. Links to the Australian Health and Physical Education Curriculum but no specific guidelines about physical activity in schools.

• Move Well Eat Well is a Tasmanian Government initiative that supports the healthy development of children and young people by promoting physical activity and healthy eating as a normal part of every day.  Schools are encouraged to become accredited by meeting criteria in six areas, aiming for a whole school approach to eating well and being physically active. The Move Well Eat Well website provides resources for primary schools, secondary schools, early childhood services, families and health and community workers.

• School Policy: Physical and Sport Education, Victorian Department of Education and Training, (last updated 30 April 2019). Schools must conduct physical and sport education for the mandated time for all students in Years P–10 in government schools. The mandated times are:
  • Primary schools: years P–3: 20–30 minutes of physical education a day; years 4–6: 3 hours per week of physical education and sport with a minimum of 50% of that time for physical education.
  • Secondary schools, years 7–10: 100 minutes each per week for physical education and sport.

• Western Australia, Physical Activity Policies and Guidelines, WA Department of Education, (last updated 2 July 2013). The Department of Education's Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting policy requires that opportunities are provided to enable all students in Years 1-10 to participate in a minimum of two hours of physical activity each week during the school day as part of student learning programs. Schools are also encouraged to provide opportunities for students to be physically active at other times.

The Sporting Schools program is managed by Sport Australia and designed to help schools to increase children’s participation in sport, and to connect them with community sporting opportunities. Once a school meets registration and eligibility requirements, they are able to apply for funding to deliver Sporting Schools programs.

Sporting Schools has partnered with more than 30 National Sporting Organisations (NSOs) to deliver sport before, during and after school hours. Following the success of the primary school program, Sporting Schools expanded into secondary schools during 2017. The targeted secondary schools program focuses on Year 7 and 8 students, particularly girls, in order to address the barriers that prevent teenagers from participating in sport.

Since Sporting Schools started in 2015, over 7,000 schools have received funding. This has given more than five million participant opportunities to get students active, engaged and having fun while sampling a variety of different sports.

• Youth Participation Research Project. In partnership with the sport and education sectors and La Trobe University pilot programs were run across 100 schools in Australia to test sporting products and intervention strategies to keep youth engage in sport, through secondary schools. As a result, a suite of resources has been produced to support sports, schools, and the community to develop and deliver effective programs that engage youth through sport to increase their physical activity.
• Market Insights Report, Australian Sports Commission, School Engagement and Partnerships, Sport Participation (May 2016).  Sport Australia works with schools and National Sporting Organisations (NSOs) to deliver the federally funded Sporting Schools Program. This report provides insights from market research conducted within the education sector, to assist NSOs (and their State affiliates) to better understand the opportunities that engagement with schools can offer. [full text may be restricted to some Clearinghouse member groups]

In 2016/2017 Sport Australia engaged Australian and International researchers to investigate the concept of physical literacy and how it could help prepare people to lead active, healthy and fulfilling lives.

• Physical Literacy: Informing a Definition and Standard for Australia. Keegan R, Barnett L, Dudley D., Australian Sports Commission, (2017). This report outlined the need for a physical literacy definition and standard for the Australian context, summarising approaches from around the world as well as current research. Overall, the quality of evidence in relation to physical literacy is described as extremely modest. This is because much of the work in this area is relatively new and while there are many opinion-based articles available, very few empirical research studies have been conducted.

The research presented in Physical Literacy: Informing a Definition and Standard for Australia informed development of a Consensus Statement defining Physical Literacy, which was signed by 18 experts from Australia and around the world. The Consensus statement supports the view that physical literacy:

• is lifelong holistic learning acquired and applied in movement and physical activity contexts
• reflects ongoing changes integrating physical, psychological, cognitive, and social capabilities
• is vital in helping us lead healthy and fulfilling lives through movement and physical activity

The AUSSIE Sports program was launched by the Australian Sports Commission (now Sport Australia) in April 1986. For the first time, Australia had a nationally coordinated program of sports education and development targeting primary school age children. AUSSIE Sports was not designed to replace physical education in primary schools, but to support existing programs and enhance the capability of primary schools to deliver a skills-based sport education program within their curriculum. The Australian Sports Commission led a national awareness campaign to highlight AUSSIE Sports and the desirable outcomes from junior sport participation. The ASC also encouraged National Sporting Organisations (NSOs) to think about how they promoted and delivered sport, particularly to children. Primary schools and sporting clubs could enroll in the AUSSIE Sports program to receive supporting resources, as well as benefiting from the enhanced public profile of junior sport highlighted in the media campaign. Resources included an activities manual with 30 modified games as well as techniques and drills to develop basic sports skills, videos, pupil log books, posters, badges and certificates. AUSSIE Sports disappeared as an identifiable brand in the late 1990’s.

More information about the AUSSIE Sports program can be found in the Clearinghouse for Sport.

In May 1992 the Federal Government referred the issue of school physical education, sport education, and school sport to a Senate Committee for inquiry. This Committee (as part of its terms of reference) investigated the current level of physical and sport skills acquired by Australian children through their participation in school physical education and sport education. The Committee also looked at the current training practices of teachers and members of the community providing sport education in schools; the allocation of resources, and; the consistency of physical education and sport policies and programs within and between schools and states.

• Physical and Sport Education, Commonwealth of Australia, Report by the Senate Standing Committee on Environment, Recreation and the Arts (1992).

The Senate Committee found that there was general agreement about the importance of physical education in schools (particularly primary schools), but a serious problem existed in the delivery of physical education and sport education because of several factors, including:

• crowded curriculum;
• the inclusion of physical education under the umbrella of health education;
• a lack of consistent physical education policy in all States and Territories;
• a devolution of decision making to local schools;
• lack of defined and agreed outcomes for the physical education curriculum compared to other curriculum areas;
• a reduction in the number of specialist physical education teachers and limited preparation of generalist teachers of physical education and sport;
• confusion regarding what is physical education and what is sport education, and what is school sport;
• the use of AUSSIE Sports and associated programs to justify the withdrawal of physical education from schools.

Based upon the Committee’s findings a number of conclusions were drawn and supporting recommendations made, they included:

1. physical education is a necessary part of the school curriculum and should be inclusive of sport education and school sport;
2. children’s physical skill levels, physical fitness levels, and participation in physical education and sport programs are declining;
3. there is a policy vacuum surrounding physical education which has led to an ad hoc approach to delivery;
4. physical education, when properly implemented, leads to increased performance in other areas of the curriculum and the development of skills enabling lifelong physical activity for better health;
5. State and Territory departments of education are responsible for providing physical education and State/Federal  and community sporting organisations are currently filling the existing ‘physical education gap’;
6. physical education programs should be taught by teachers with appropriate skills;
7. access and equity issues are not addressed for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and children of non-English speaking backgrounds;
8. girls and boys are entitled to equal experiences and opportunities to engage in physical education and school sport;
9. quality physical education and school sport programs (particularly at primary school level) should focus on participation, skill development, and social development, rather than competition;
10. positive and cooperative links between departments of education, sport and recreation, sporting associations, and local communities can deliver quality sport education and school sport.

• School Sport Australian Capital Territory
• New South Wales School Sport
• School Sport Northern Territory
• Queensland School Sport
• School Sport South Australia
• School Sport Tasmania
• School Sport Victoria
• School Sport Western Australia

• Association of Heads of Independent Girls School - Sport
• Catholic Schools NSW Sport
• NSW Combined Independent Schools Sports Council
• South Australian Catholic Secondary School Girls Sports Association
• Southern Primary Schools Sports Association (TAS)
• Sports Association of Tasmanian Independent Schools

• International School Sport Federation
• School Sport New Zealand (New Zealand Secondary Schools Sports Council)

UniSport Australia (UniSport) is the peak governing body of university sport in Australia. They work with 43 member universities who collectively represent more than one million students nationwide.

The primary focus of UniSport is delivering a national policy that facilitates opportunities for competitive participation in sport for students at regional, national and international levels. They also lobby and represent the voice of our members and the sporting needs of Australia's university students.

In coordination with member universities, and state and national sporting organisations, they operate regional, national and international sporting programs. With more than 40 sports in national championship format, UniSport hosts some of the largest and most highly anticipated university sporting competitions in the Australian sporting calendar and represent the pinnacle of student-athlete participation nationally.

• UniMoves. UniMoves is an initiative in partnership with Sport Australia to get universities moving, and help staff and students alike find their 30 minutes of activity each day. The pilot program includes 11 universities from across Australia.

Organisations

School Sport Canada is the national body for school sport in Canada. SSC is the largest structured sport organization in Canada, with over 750,000 student athletes, 52,000 volunteer teacher coaches and 3,200 schools in the member Provincial and Territorial Federations and Associations. SSC member associations and schools promote and advocate for positive sportsmanship, citizenship and the total development of student athletes through interscholastic sport.

Canadian Sport School. The Canadian Sport School helps to alleviate the pressures experienced by high performance secondary school athletes and ensure that our future Olympians, Paralympians and National Team members have all the skills and resources needed to continue to progress as high performance athletes, while excelling both on the playing field and in the classroom.

• Sport Schools in Canada: The future is here, Way R, Repp C and Brennan T, Canadian Sport Centre, Pacific (2010). High school education systems in many provinces of Canada have evolved to allow a wider variety of educational options, including sport specific academies. In British Columbia there are 72 schools offering 110 programs with approximately 4000 students enrolled in 21 sports. Sport specific academies offer an enriched training environment for students and approximately 95% have links to community sports organisations through coaching, facility use and shared equipment use.  In addition, 77% of sport schools contract services from outside the school (primarily coaching and officiating). Empirical evidence suggests participating student-athletes have better school attendance, increased academic performance, and improved life skills. This report outlines recommendations that will help link school sport academies to the larger Canadian sport system. Opportunities are available to form new partnerships between sport and education to deliver leadership, accountability, and quality control and maximise available resources.

• The ALCIS 2 project, EuropeActive, (accessed 12 February 2020). The impact of the Active Learning for Children in School project – better known as ALCIS 1 – has been outstanding, outnumbered its own target of 5000 children, by encouraging 8000 children in five European countries to be more active. Based on the pilot action ALCIS 1, the ALCIS 2 project encourages children to reflect about different lifestyle choices in relation to physical activity, stress management and overall wellbeing with the aim for a long-term impact. The project combines fun-orientated exercise classes with educational material on lifestyle issues. This pedagogical tool is based on a methodology that not only provides information, but also teaches life skills such as critical thinking, goal-setting and self-analysis. This way, young people are empowered to make and implement their own lifestyle choices. The aim of ALCIS is to encourage children, their relatives and friends to live healthy and exercise regularly.
• European School Sport Day (ESSD) is a school day dedicated to having fun, playing together and promoting physical activity and health for everyone. ESSD is open to any kind of physical activity that has the aim to encourage children to be active for at least 120 minutes per the day or to run or walk the distance of the given year (e.g. 2016 metres in 2016).
• EU White Paper on Sport, Commission of the European Communities (2007). Sport makes an important social and economic contribution to the European Union's strategic objectives of solidarity and prosperity. One of the Commission’s recommendations is to strengthen cooperation between the health, education, and sport sectors to promote the concept of active living through the national education and training systems, including the training of teachers. Based on experience gained during the 2004 European Year of Education through Sport, the Commission encourages support for sport and physical activity through various policy initiatives in the field of education and training.
• Mapping of School Sport in Europe, Sport & Citizenship/Sport et Citoyenneté, (September 2017). The Sport and Citizenship Think Tank is dedicated to analyzing trends and challenges in European sport policies. This mapping – organised in the form of factsheets – sheds light on school sport, an unappreciated activity which yet engages all children in physical activity across Europe.
• Physical Education and Sport at School in Europe, European Commission, (2015). Physical Education and Sport at School in Europe maps the state of play of physical education and sport activities at school in 30 European countries. The report covers primary and lower secondary education and provides an insight into the following topics: national strategies and large-scale initiatives where they exist, the status of physical education in national curricula and steering documents, recommended annual taught time, pupil assessment, teacher education, extracurricular activities and planned national reforms. The report is the result of an in depth analysis of primary data provided by Eurydice national units and can be regarded as the first attempt by the European Commission to identify key concerns and strengths regarding physical education at school across European countries.
• Physical education in EU schools, European Parliament Briefing, (November 2016). The low levels of physical activity among children and adolescents in the European Union are alarming and have become a matter of great concern for policymakers, since physical inactivity is responsible for over 500 000 deaths per year and accounts for economic costs over €80 billion per year. The educational environment plays a particularly important role: physical education is part of all central curriculum frameworks in the EU, and is compulsory in primary and secondary education. On average, just under 70 hours per year are dedicated to the subject. However, the time allocated to physical education is around only one third of that dedicated to the language of instruction and around half of that for mathematics.  Research shows that funding for physical education in schools is inadequate, which, in turn, is reflected in the often poor quality and lack of equipment at primary and secondary levels in respectively 26 % and 38 % of EU countries. For the first time, financial support for sport is now included in the form of a specific chapter in Erasmus+ – the EU programme for education, training, youth and sport for the 2014-2020 period. The allocation amounts to around €265 million over the entire period.
• Sport education in European schools: Compulsory but less important than other subjects, European Commission, Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (March 2013)  Physical education is a compulsory subject at school but is commonly perceived as being less important than other subjects, according to a new European Commission report. This report covers primary and lower secondary education and provides an insight into the following topics: national strategies and initiatives, the status of physical education in national curricula, recommended annual classroom time, pupil assessment methods, teacher education, extracurricular activities, and planned reforms.
• Young and physically active: A blueprint for making physical activity appealing to youth, Kelly P, Matthews A and Foster C, World Health Organization, regional office for Europe (2012)  Scientific evidence shows that physical inactivity is a leading risk factor for ill health, going well beyond issues related to weight control. Over the past few years the promotion of physical activity has increasingly been recognised in Europe as a priority for public health, and many countries have responded by developing policies and interventions. Several case studies include physical education settings.

• The Sport Basic Plan: Activating Japan through Sport, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Japan (MEXT), (2012). Sport possesses the intrinsic value to respond to the basic human desire for physical movement and to generate feelings of satisfaction, pleasure and joy. Sport plays a key role in diverse facets of people’s lives, for example by supporting the sound fostering of youth, revitalizing local communities, the retaining and promoting of mental and physical health, the generating social and economic vitality, and raising national status in the international community. Based upon the importance of such of roles achieved by sport, the Sport Basic Plan emphasizes the importance of striving to create a “society where all people can enjoy a happy and fulfilled life through sport.” One of the key development areas is to increase sport opportunities for children at schools and in local  communities. To achieve this physical education in school is identified as a key area for enrichment.
• Second Sport Basic Plan, (April 2017-March 2022). Japan's second Sport Basic Plan was formulated on March 24, 2017, pursuant to the Basic Act on Sport. Within the new Plan, in the interest of realizing basic ideas set forth in the Basic Act on Sport, mention is made on the comprehensive and systematic measures to be advanced over the next five years. The Second Basic Plan defines citizens play a leading role in sport, and sport organizations shall directly provide citizens with sport opportunities. The plan stresses the importance of actively promoting sport via coordination and cooperation among citizens, sport organizations, private business operators, local governments, the national government and various other entities involved in sport. The Second Basic Plan (April 2017~ March 2022) aims to increase the nation’s participation in sport by expanding various opportunities to experience, watch, and support sport so that people can enjoy a happy and fulfilled lives. The plan strives to realize the government’s policy of "Promoting the Dynamic Engagement of All Citizens" by creating a dynamic society and strong global ties.
• Overview of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology 2013, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Japan (MEXT), (2013). Sport overview, p.18. Based on the Sport Basic Plan, MEXT is striving to increase sport opportunities for children and promote sport activities in line with the life stages regardless of age, gender or disabilities.

Organisations

School Sport New Zealand (NZSSSC) is the sports service organisation that co-ordinates, promotes and protects secondary school sport for all students. It has been established, by schools, to act as guardian of the heritage and the values of secondary school sport and to deliver leadership and support for all involved in the provision of sport to secondary schools and their students. It represents and is accountable to every New Zealand secondary school and to all students.

Programs

Play.sport, Sport New Zealand (accessed 2 March 2020). Play.sport is an initiative aimed at ensuring students are receiving quality physical education and sport at school. It uses a physical literacy approach that is focused not only on physical skills, but social and emotional skills needed to enjoy life-long engagement in sport and physical activity. In 2016 Play.sport was started as a pilot program in 44 New Zealand schools. The program is funded primarily through Sport New Zealand and supported by the Ministry of Education.

• Play.sport baseline evaluation. Sport New Zealand, (March 2017). Supported by the Ministry of Education and ACC, Play.sport is helping to create quality and engaging PE experiences in our schools that encourage a lifelong love of sport and physical activity, which contributes to the overall wellbeing of our Kiwi kids.

Reports

KiwiSport in Schools, October 2012 Report, Education Review Office, New Zealand (2012). KiwiSport is a government initiative established in 2009 to increase opportunities for school-aged children to participate in organised sport.

Physical Education and Sport in Primary Schools, Penney D, Pope C, Hunter L, Phillips S and Dewar P, University of Waikato, New Zealand (2013). This report presents the results of a scoping study focusing on the provision of physical education and sport in New Zealand primary schools within and beyond the school curriculum, and outside of school hours. The project examined: (1) the types of opportunities that are provided; (2) which sports and activities are popular; (3) the key factors influencing current provision of sports and activities, and (4) ways in which current provision may be enhanced, from the perspective of students, teachers and other stakeholders.

Secondary Age Review, Sport New Zealand, (March 2019). This research looks into secondary school aged young people’s participation in sport and active recreation, and current and future enablers and barriers to this participation. It was conducted in response to the Active NZ survey (2017) and concerns that the changing participation needs of 12-17 year olds in Aotearoa are not being met by today’s sport and active recreation offering.

Policies

School sport and activity action plan, UK Government, Department for Education, Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport, and Department of Health and Social Care, (July 2019). A cross-government action plan to provide pupils with greater opportunity to access 60 minutes of sport and physical activity every day. The action plan: outlines a range of new measures to strengthen the role of sport within a young person’s daily routine; explains how teachers and parents can play their part; and, promotes a joined-up approach to physical activity and mental wellbeing.

• New plan to help children get active, Sport England, (14 July 2019). More satellite clubs and greater opportunities for children to get active through their school.

Organisations

The future of school and community sport, Efford C (editor), The Smith Institute (2013). The challenge facing the UK Government is how best to take forward the Olympic legacy. How to create a consensus for school and community sport that delivers continued, sustained benefits for future generations; how to ensure that resources are in place that match the vision; and what more can be done to integrate sport in schools with sport in the community? Nine expert authors take these issues head-on, and between them offer a progressive agenda for the future.

The PE and sport premium for primary schools: Good practice to maximise effective use of funding, (PDF  - 364 KB), Ofsted, publication reference number 140164 (2014). Ofsted is the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills in the United Kingdom. Ofsted is an independent body that provides inspection and regulatory services and reports directly to Parliament. The government is providing funding to primary schools and academies that is specifically targeted at improving the provision of physical education (PE) and sport. A survey conducted during April to July 2014 identified good practice in 22 schools previously identified as performing well in PE. This report shares the results of that survey. In most of the schools surveyed, additional funding was being used to:

• deploy new sports coaches and other qualified personnel;
• join existing sports partnerships by pooling resources and organising inter-school sports competitions;
• improve teacher’s subject knowledge, techniques and skills;
• work in partnership with secondary schools to facilitate specialist teachers and coaches in extra-curricular sport;
• engage with parents and community sports clubs to increase pupils’ regular participation in sport and physical activity outside of school hours, and;
• help selected pupils, including persons with disability, who have special needs to overcome barriers and benefit from PE and sport.

Physical Education and School Sport, Ruff Guide to Sport and Physical Activity academic resources (2012). Physical Education (PE) is one of five subjects required for all pupils from the ages of 5 through 16 years. In schools, sport and physical activity are contextualised principally as PE, and in recent years there has been a greater emphasis on sport in schools as a result of 2012 London Olympic Games legacy programs. The Club Links program is delivered by Sport England with the objective of increasing the number of young people in school sport partnerships with community based sports clubs.

Resources

Changing the Game, for Girls: A toolkit to help teachers get more girls involved in PE and school sport, Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation, UK (2016). This resource is designed to help schools and physical education (PE) teachers get more girls involved in PE and school sport by understanding the reasons why so few girls participate. Underpinning research at Loughborough University examined the reasons for the gender gap in PE and school sport participation. Population statistics also show that young girls in the UK are less likely to meet the recommended daily physical activity target than boys and a high proportion of girls are overweight or obese. The research can help us understand what would help girls become more active, so that schools can develop policies and strategies to encourage greater participation among girls. Overall, this research found that families are the most powerful influence on a child’s activity levels, and schools are seen as the most important site for change. Because school attendance is compulsory, schools have a unique opportunity to deliver programs (e.g. PE and school sport) and create a culture in which physical activity is valued. A whole-school approach is recommended, involving students, parents and teachers.

Intergovernmental Committee for Physical Education and Sport (CIGEPS), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). The Committee was established in 1978 to promote the role and value of sport and its inclusion in public policy. CIGEPS is comprised of expert representatives in the field of physical education and sport from 18 UNESCO Member States, each elected for a four year term. A Permanent Consultative Council (PCC) has been established; comprising key sport federations, UN agencies, and non-governmental organisations; to provide technical support and advice to the Committee. CIGEPS has the potential to bring nations together and to engage governments in coordinated international efforts to optimise the socio-economic benefits of sport and physical education programs and help them achieve their potential.

• CIGEPS Report, Plenary Session and joint meeting with PCC, held in Paris, 6-7 March 2014. This report presents a summary of the discussions which took place during the Plenary Session of CIGEPS, convened by UNESCO. Topics included: the revision of the International Charter of Physical Education and Sport; quality physical education guidelines for policy-makers, and; research on the socio-economic benefits of sport.
• Quality Physical Education (QPE) Guidelines: Guidelines for policy-makers, McLennan N and Thompson J, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (2015). UNESCO’s vision is clear – sport and physical education are essential to youth, to healthy lives, to resilient societies, to the fight against violence. Physical education exposes young people to a range of experiences that enable them to develop the skills and knowledge they need to make the most of opportunities today and to shape new forms of global citizenship. Yet, despite the recognised power of physical education, we are seeing a global decline in its delivery. These guidelines have been developed in partnership with the International Olympic Committee and other organisations to inform and mobilise stakeholders to take action.

2012 Shape of the Nation Report: Status of physical education in the USA, National Association for Sport and Physical Education and the American Heart Association (2012). This report provides current information on the status of physical education in each of the states in the USA. Data for the following areas is presented: time requirements, high school graduation requirements, exemptions/waivers and substitutions, physical activity targets, local school wellness policy, standards for curriculum and instruction, class size, student assessment and program accountability, body mass index data of students, physical education teacher certification/licensure, and state physical education coordinator requirements.

K-12 Education: School-based physical education and sports programs, United States Government, Accountability Office, Report to Congressional Requesters (2012). Schools are uniquely positioned to provide students opportunities to increase physical activity through physical education (PE) classes and involvement in sports teams. In view of the federal government’s role in promoting the health and welfare of children, the Congress is currently considering a number of proposals aimed in part at increasing the physical activity of youth. To assist the Congress as it considers options, the GAO was asked to review: (1) the status of opportunities for elementary and secondary school students to participate in school-based physical education or sports activities; and (2) what challenges schools face in providing physical education and sports opportunities. This report estimates that in 2006 only about 14% of elementary schools offer PE at least three days per week to all grades.  This percentage raises slightly (15%) for middle schools and junior high schools and falls to only 3% of high schools. These percentages have declined significantly from figures obtained from surveys conducted in 2000. The challenges faced by school officials include: budget cuts; inadequate facilities and lack of dedicated space for PE; limited funding for specialist instructors; and transportation. However, the percentage of schools offering PE at least once per week increased in all grades, kindergarten through year-12. Along with the decrease in PE instruction time, the emphasis on quality PE programs (competency in motor skills) seems to have increased. School-based sports programs offer another opportunity for students to engage in regular physical activity; an estimated 77% of middle schools and 91% of high schools offered students opportunities to participate in interscholastic sports programs.

Making Strides: State Report Cards on Support for Walking, Bicycling, and Active Kids and Communities, Safe Routes to School National Partnership, (2018). The report cards primarily look at state policy, focusing on four key areas: Complete Streets and Active Transportation, Safe Routes to School and Active Transportation Funding, Active Neighborhoods and Schools, and State Physical Activity Planning and Support. Specifically the report looks at how many states require a schools to provide the number of weekly physical education minutes recommended by experts. For elementary school children only seven (7) states had such a requirement, while 19 states required some mandatory weekly minutes. For middle school youth three (3) states met the recommendation of 225 minutes per week, while 14 states had some requirement. For high school students no state required the recommended number of minutes, although 41 states required some physical education credits for graduation and 5 states had a weekly PE requirement.

Physical activity: Moving toward obesity solutions (workshop summary), Pray L, Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, USA (2015). The National Academies’ Institute of Medicine invited experts to attend a workshop on the science and practice that links physical activity to health outcomes, specifically the impact of physical activity on the prevention and treatment of overweight and obesity in the United States. Chapter 7 – Institutional strategies for promoting physical activity – provides evidence-based and innovative strategies for school-based physical activity programs. One of the key findings in the 2012 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans Midcourse Report is the importance of a multicomponent approach to promoting school physical activity. Two important national initiatives were forthcoming: the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program and SHAPE America. In 2013 (for the first time) the CDC provided funding to all 50 States to support their efforts to address physical activity in schools. The experts agree there is strong evidence to support a multicomponent approach to school physical activity: (1) ensure that a sound physical education curriculum is one component; (2) emphasise that schools should ensure that sufficient time during the school day is spent on physical education and that activities actually keep students active; (3) implement active transportation — that is, walking or biking to/from school; (4) provide activity breaks (i.e. classroom-based physical activity and recess) during the school day; (5) encourage physical activity before and after school – through shared facility use and partnerships; (6) school staff involvement (implementing and energising the program), and; (7) community engagement. Based upon national data collected by the CDC, in 2012 no State had more than 30% of its public schools implementing such as comprehensive program, and only 12 States had more than 20% of their schools implementing a comprehensive program. A key challenge for any funded initiative is ensuring implementation – including professional development training, rigorous program evaluation, and student assessment.

Presidential Youth Fitness Program. School-based fitness programs in the United States have entered a new era in 2014 as the assessment protocols of the ‘Presidential Youth Fitness Program’ replace the 24-year-old Physical Fitness Test. A partnership between the President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition; the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance; the Amateur Athletic Union; the Cooper Institute; and the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention has facilitated the change.  The new program will emphasise health over performance.

Promoting Physical Activity through Policy, Bassett D, La Monte M, Wiese-Bjornstal D, Volpe S and Mechanick J, President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition, Research Digest, Series 12, Number 3 (2011). Policies to improve physical activity may be direct, such as required participation in quality physical education programs in schools, or less direct, such as a transportation policy that encourages additional walking, or replacing automobile transport with cycling. This report describes five policy categories within schools and communities that have the potential to improve population physical activity. Evidence of effectiveness of these policies is already available or emerging. Currently, there is a growing consensus that policy-based approaches targeting the school environment, such as mandatory physical education (PE), may have the greatest impact on child and adolescent physical inactivity and childhood obesity. The five promising policy areas are: (1) quality physical education programs in schools; (2) complete streets – policies that influence how communities are designed to influence physical activity; (3) joint use – policies that allow shared access to facilities and spaces; (4) community trail – construction or use of existing access routes (such as bicycle/pedestrian paths) that allow a variety of modes of active transport (i.e. walking, cycling, in-line skating, wheelchairs, etc.), and; (5) policies for active transport to-and-from school.