What should be prioritised in primary education?

What should be prioritized in primary education?

What should be prioritized in primary education? A complex question that certainly has no correct or incorrect answer, with individuals all having formed an opinion which differ a great deal as to what they believe should be prioritised. With a vast amount believing that the core subjects such as mathematics, English and science should remain a priority, I believe that that some answers are more comprehendible than others and I have decided to analyse a sample of such subjects.

One of the most common answers and the one I agree with the most is ‘to develop pupil and staff mental health and well-being. Being a dedicated sports person, I believe that living a healthy lifestyle is highly important for our well being. According to (Local Government Association, 2018), more than 22,000 children aged 10 and 11 in Year 6 are classed as severely obese. The Local Government Association (LGA) said this shows children are becoming over weight as they progress through school. Physical education in schools actively promotes health and encourages lifelong physical activity. This is an important issue given that over 30% of year six pupils are classed as “overweight” or “obese” according to the government figures as I have previously mentioned. These figures are concerning and something needs to be done.

Good nutrition is linked to good physical and mental health, and improving diet is likely to lead to improved general wellbeing. In addition, health and happiness have been linked to better educational outcomes. Schools across the country are implementing a healthy food provision and facilitating positive eating behaviours in the whole school community. 

In 2017, the Government’s new Childhood Obesity Strategy called on primary schools to provide 30 minutes of physical activity on a daily basis, with the Department for Education promising to double the amount of funding for PE and sport in schools by the end of the year. It is evident that children who practice regular exercise when at school are much more likely to carry this on into adulthood. Alternatively, 40% of obese children will carry on to become obese adults. Worryingly, it has been stated that obesity can reduce a person’s life expectancy by up to 10 years. Evidently something must be done to encourage and promote a healthy lifestyle. But what about those children who do not enjoy traditional sport?

It is vital to provide opportunities to all children to play sports to every level of ability, otherwise, some children will feel they do not have the required skills to participate and feel inadequate. By incorporating exercise into lessons rather than having sport clubs after school it will allow children that have non sport related extra-curricular commitments to participate in some form of physical activity.

With there being an increased level of mental health issues in our classrooms it is important to recognise the problems children face. Mental health has been distinguished as one of the most important health concerns of the 21st century Evidence shows that mental health and wellbeing programmes in schools, can lead to significant improvements in children’s mental health, emotional and social skills. Wellbeing provision in schools can also lead to a reduction in classroom misbehaviour and bullying.


 The benefits of physical activity for the mental health and well-being of children is second to none. Increased physical activity during the school day has been associated with better physical, psychological and social health and well‐being.
When a school promotes positive emotional health and wellbeing pupils can comprehend and express their feelings better. This builds their self confidence and emotional resilience and therefore enhances their capacity to learn more effectively.
According to an article written by the telegraph, primary schools place too much focus on three-R’s. This leaves subjects such as, physical education, history and geography left on the back burner. Children need to have an understanding of the different subjects before attending secondary school otherwise I believe that they will struggle. I do not disagree that Maths and English should be main priority, but at the end of the day, health always comes first and I believe it is a subject that should be taken seriously.

Reference list

Harry Yorke (2019). National school exercise scheme launched in bid to tackle childhood obesity. [online] The Telegraph. Available at: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/2017/01/31/national-school-exercise-scheme-launched-bid-tackle-childhood/ [Accessed 27 Apr. 2019].

The Conversation. (2019). Physical Education is just as important as any other school subject. [online] Available at: https://theconversation.com/physical-education-is-just-as-important-as-any-other-school-subject-103187 [Accessed 27 Apr. 2019].

the Guardian. (2019). Eight priorities to improve primary education. [online] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/teacher-blog/2013/oct/04/priorities-improve-primary-education [Accessed 27 Apr. 2019].

Taylor & Francis. (2019). Primary physical education (PE): School leader perceptions about classroom teacher quality implementation. [online] Available at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/2331186X.2017.1348925 [Accessed 27 Apr. 2019].

Cornwallhealthyschools.org. (2019). Emotional health and wellbeing : Cornwall Healthy Schools. [online] Available at: https://www.cornwallhealthyschools.org/wellbeing/emotional-health-well-being/ [Accessed 27 Apr. 2019].

BBC News. (2019). What does it mean if a child is 'severely obese'?. [online] Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-44291492 [Accessed 27 Apr. 2019].