'Change PE departments into departments of health and wellbeing' says children's charity

Commenting on the Department of Health and Social Care’s Prevention is Better Than Cure vision, Chief Executive of the Youth Sport Trust Ali Oliver said:

“The Health Secretary is right to recognise the need to place a greater focus on preventing ill-health and promoting wellbeing. This vision acknowledges the important role of physical activity in prevention. There’s no better place for this important work to start than in schools and the early years.

“This is why we need to transform our approach to PE, placing greater emphasis on the subject equipping young people to lead healthy, active lifestyles. YST is supporting schools to transform their provision of PE and sport to improve social wellbeing and mental health. Some schools are leading the way by changing their PE departments into departments of health and wellbeing.

“It will be vital that government is joined up in its approach. The Health Secretary’s focus on prevention must be supported across government, including through an education policy which truly recognises the value of PE and reverses the recent decline in time allocated to the subject in secondary schools. This is crucial to tackling the decline in young people’s health and wellbeing and should include a commitment to long-term investment in PE and school sport.”