ParalympicsGB, currently second in the medal standings for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, has a social and inclusive struggle ahead as it manages worrying data: only 25% of the 1.5 million disabled schoolchildren have access to physical education, the remaining 75% suffer from the exclusion of not having an adequate policy.
[Michael Phelps’ disbelief towards Teresa Perales, winner of 28 Paralympic medals]
David Clarke, chief executive of ParalympicsGB, discussed the new strategy, known as Equal Play, at a meeting with Keir Starmer, the prime minister, in Paris last week, reports ‘The Guardian’ newspaper. “All children should have equal access to physical education. Sport and physical education in school should be a legal right for all children, and the people who deliver it should have the support, education and training to do so in an inclusive way,” the Paralympic committee said.
[The feat of Yevhenii Korinets, from war in Ukraine and his amputation to Paralympic glory]
As advanced by the English newspaper, it is a plan developed in collaboration with education experts, academics and athletes, and has four key points: a greater emphasis on physical education within the national curriculum; adapting teacher training to increase understanding of the needs of disabled children; a new focus on inclusion within school sport; and more disabled teachers within the workforce.
“Structural change is needed”
“Play is fundamental to children’s happiness, allowing them to have fun while developing their motor skills, gaining self-confidence and improving their physical and mental health. Disabled children deserve the same access to PE in schools as their non-disabled peers, and structural change is needed to support schools to make this possible.” explains Clarke.
It’s time for Equal Play ✊
ParalympicsGB is today launching a campaign calling for equal access to PE and school sport for disabled children. Shockingly, just one in four say they currently take part in sport at school.
It’s time for change.#ParalympicsGB | #EqualPlay
— ParalympicsGB (@ParalympicsGB) September 2, 2024
Although physical education is a compulsory part of the school curriculum, there is only guidance on how it should be delivered. The Equality Act obliges schools to make “reasonable adjustments” to include disabled children, but research by the charity Activity Alliance has found that only 25% of disabled children regularly take part in PE, compared with 41% of their non-disabled peers. “We want the Government to commit to ensuring that all children have equal access to PE and the same experience. By the Paralympics in Los Angeles, we want to see systemic change,” states the Equal Play policy.
