[Report 1966] / School Medical Officer of Health, Bristol.

  • Bristol (England). Council.
Date:
1966
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1966] / School Medical Officer of Health, Bristol. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    The majority of both secondary and primary scliools encourage activities off school premises and regular visits are paid to places of interest for field study, geographical and historical pursuits in addition to the organised camps. The Cor- poration Transport Department made available a Bedford van capable of seating 12 pupils which can be driven by members of school staff. This has enabled small parties to be transported both in and out of school time to places of interest in the surrounding countryside. Some secondary schools have replanned the time-table to provide a common recreational afternoon for their senior pupils. This enables the ability of specialist staff to be made available to a greater number of pupils and to offer a greater variety of activities than would be possible in any one school. This is very much in the experimental stage at the moment but this integration of physical activities seems to be the most economic and efficient method of using expensive plant and using the specialist knowledge and interest of school staff to the best advantage. Jean Dawson The recently published report of the Central Advisory Council for Education (Chairman Lady Plowden J.P ) on “Children and their Primary Schools” draws attention to a major development in physical education—the adoption of general principles of movement training and the application of this training to different aspects of the physical education programme. The Council recognises the harmony between this approach to movement and current educational ideals. The building up of resources in movement, with scope for individual exploration, choice and practice makes significant contribution to the whole educational programme. There is an associated development in the ability of children to respond to music, stories and ideas in dance and drama. The Plowden groups who saw this work were impressed by its quality and by the children’s total absorption and involvement in it. The Plowden Report lays particular stress on the need for a balanced pro- gramme in physical education: “ Children need activities of an acrobatic and athletic type as well as ball games, swimming, dance and drama, and to neglect any of these is to impoverish the programme ”. It points out that work with lower age groups is likely to be exploratory, allowing children to discover their own bodily powers and capabilities, and to invent different sequences of movement. While exploration and experiment are essential, so also are skill and mastery. “ How something is done matters as much as what is done ”. With the older pupils in the lower part of the secondary school, work will need to be planned with skill and understanding, to allow for the sustained and co-ordinated performance to be expected of this age- group, and the pupils’ response will need to be guided by knowledgeable and perceptive comment. The Report in its comments on swimming states that “ we believe the first priority is rightly placed on teaching the highest possible number of young children to gain confidence in water and to swim; we have been impressed by recent efforts in this direction ”. “ In recent years, the building of indoor shallow water swimming pools has enabled many young children to be introduced to swimming ” During the past year two nursery schools and five infant schools in Bristol have allowed their older children to visit the baths, but unfortunately only one of the city baths has a shallow water pool suitable for this age group- It is hoped that a children’s teaching pool will be incorporated in all future baths in this city.