Revolution in PE lessons? The Children's Rights Ombudsman responds

In a letter sent at the end of May to the Ministry of National Education, the Ombudsman for Children's Rights, Monika Horna-Cieślak, focused on two core curricula. The first concerns preschool education and general education for primary school, including for students with moderate or significant intellectual disabilities, the second – general education for general secondary school, technical school and vocational school of the second degree.

As the spokeswoman noted, both projects took into account the aspect of adapting forms of physical activity to the needs and abilities of students, but insufficient attention was paid to the issue of exemptions from exercises. In Monika Hornej-Cieślak's opinion, the need to exempt a student complaining of health problems from exercises should also be accepted and justified absences from PE classes should be taken into account.

RPD responds to the core curriculum. It's about PE lessons

The spokeswoman points out: "This is an important issue when determining a grade for physical education, when taking into account the student's systematic participation in classes and his or her activity in activities undertaken by the school for physical culture."

– The reports submitted to the Ombudsman for Children’s Rights indicate that the cited guideline regarding taking into account the regularity of participation in classes when assessing is sometimes interpreted in such a way that the lack of participation of a student in exercises during physical education classes due to health problems negatively affects the classification grade in physical education – explained Monika Horna-Cieślak.

In her opinion, such practice promotes inappropriate behaviors in the field of physical activity. – That is, undertaking physical activity that endangers the health of the person exercising and in a situation where their current physical and health capabilities do not allow them to undertake physical activity at all, or do not allow them to undertake a specific physical activity – she assessed.

Not just layoffs. RPD on fitness tests

In addition, the spokeswoman drew attention to the aspect of fitness tests conducted during classes there, which, although according to the regulation they cannot influence the grade in physical education, "does not eliminate the risk of discrimination against students with lower mobility and may become the cause of reluctance to undertake physical activity".

According to Monika Hornej-Cieślak, the solution could be to indicate the voluntary nature of participation in such tests as part of the core curriculum. The spokeswoman emphasizes that "what is important in promoting physical activity in children and young people is not tests and results or achieved outcomes, but rather indicating that physical activity can be undertaken in a variety of ways and is intended to help maintain health and good condition."