[Report 1949] / School Medical Officer of Health, Smethwick County Borough.

  • Smethwick (Worcestershire, England). County Borough Council.
Date:
1949
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1949] / School Medical Officer of Health, Smethwick County Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    2^ REPORT OF THE ORGANISER OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION. During the year 1949, the work in Physical Education ha^ made further advances, and changes have been made to l)ring the schemes in the schools in line with modern developments. These schemes drawn up for the pupils in all schools, provide for an all-round harmonious development of the children. That is, they are constructed to include activities that offer training not only for the physical side of the children, but also of the mind. They offer scope for inculcating in the minds of the children, courage, conffdence, self reliance, sportsmanship, the will tO' help others and a hygienic outlook on life. PRIMARY schools. The new scheme is wwll under way is these schools, and the children are evidently enjoying it more than tlie previous method of giving them formal exercises to perform, and activities must he enjoyed to he heneffcial. Most Primary Schools are now equipped with some agilit\^ apparatus, for jumping, balancing, and low hanging activities, plus a large variety of small apparatus, such as halls, hoops and canes, etc. The Primary Sub-Committee attended a demonstration of the higher climbing apparatus in Tam worth and expressed themselves as being delighted with what they saiw. The amount of exercise the children received on this apparatus, their enjoy¬ ment and show of initiative vcere features of the demonstrations, which were given by three classes ranging from 7-11 years of age. As a result of this, one climbing frame is being set up as an experiment at Oldbury Road Junior and Infants’ School. Such apparatus wdll ffll in the gap between infancy and adolescence when it has been fo'und that the child gradually loses the strength of its arms and upper trunk, through iwant of appropriate exercise. It will provide facilities for all kinds of hanging, heaving and climbing movements, so that by the time the\ child is 11 years of age and ready to be transferred to the Secondary School its arms and upper trunk will be strong enough to carry on with the more strenuous activities suita1)le for children of that age. Such a scheme coupled with Organised (lames and swimming provides the Primary School children with a very full programme of Physical Education; a scheme that gives full scope to their natural instincts and guides into the right channels the great stort‘ of energv which vonng children have at their disposal.