Give PE a sporting chance in schools

The Government is drawing up action plans and policies to encourage more physical activity in schools but Brendan O’Malley tells Caroline O’Doherty it is only rhetoric without action and a lot more needs to be done to counteract the negative perceptions of PE

Students may think they are being creative geniuses but excuses for avoiding PE rarely warrant more than a D grade.

Brendan O’Malley, for one, is hard to impress. “Students don’t forget their gear,” he says. “Students are actively leaving their gear after them because they hate PE. It’s the same way they forget to bring in their compass for technical graphics. They don’t forget — they’re just looking for a way out.”