Physical Education and ‘the Couch Potato Society‘1 1 ‐ Part One

Abstract

Within the varied justifications for physical education (PE) a broad consensus has emerged over the last decade or so in relation to the desirability of one particular purpose; namely, the promotion of lifelong participation in sport and physical activity. Indeed, in one form or another, concern with encouraging ongoing participation in sport and physical activity, after the end of compulsory schooling, has been a persistent and enduring theme in government policy towards school sport and PE in recent decades. Part One of this two‐part paper argues that much official and semi‐official rhetoric related to school sport and PE in recent years fails to acknowledge actual participatory trends in sport and physical activity ‐ towards so‐called lifestyle activities’ and away from competitive, performance‐oriented sport ‐ among young people. In doing so, it does a substantial disservice to those engaged in PE with a view to promoting lifelong participation by promulgating a misguided response to a ‘fictitious illness’ (Roberts, 1996a). 1 This aspect of the title is taken from a recent Sport England (2002) publication