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www.fitmediafitness.co.uk  

 A rticle for SportyPublicSchools.com

PE can be Made to Measure

To paraphrase Gilbert and Sullivan, a PE teacher’s lot is not always a happy one. Especiallywhen the average fitness of the pupils they are charged with educating is dropping by 10%each decade.

In addition to the traditional requirements of teaching, coaching and pastoral care,increasing pressures means that the role is become more demanding than in previous years.

These pressures can come from many fronts. The school’s community wish for success onthe field, and silverware in the cabinet from representative sports. In addition, as well assuccess in team sports such as rugby, hockey, netball and football, teachers are expected tonurture and support talents of elite individuals in events like gymnastics and swimming.

In addition, fee paying parents increasingly expect detail and feedback regarding theirchildren’s activity in PE, their physical development and even physical activity levels. Someeven request status and progress updates equivalent to those received for academic studies.Demands for information on progress, development and enjoyment of pupils’ PE experiencecan be a challenge in those pupils without a place in representative sports teams. This canescalate if children do not meet their parents’ expectations, such as making representative

teams or failing to excel at certain sports.Games and sporting staff can also be expected to help fulfil the school’s pastoral careobligations by ensuring the overall health and fitness of their pupils – and all their pupils,not just those who make up the school’s teams. This can be particularly hard where there isa large number of pupils, with different needs, and often with little aptitude for conventionalNGB sports.

 At the same time, and to ensure they are fulfilling the school’s obligations to their parents,PE staff need an effective monitoring and evaluation systems for their programmes. Whereacademic teachers can use exam results to prove the effectiveness of their teaching, PEstaff are often still judged on the success of their teams on the pitch.

This in itself is problematic for the staff, as such success is influenced by a number of factorsbeyond their control (eg school size, sport specialisation and of course the pupils inattendance). Crucially, such measurement does not provide a picture of the whole schoolpopulation, but only provides a measure of ability and talent of those pupils who have beenselected. At the same time, a primary focus on competitive sporting success can thenrestrict any teachers’ ability to ensure the health and fitness of the “non sporty” pupils andcater to their individual activity needs.

Limited time and resources also mean that it can be hard for staff to provide parents withevidence of fitness and health benefits of PE or to show that existing teaching and coachingprogrammes are effective. It also means that it is difficult for the staff themselves toadequately analyse and assess their own delivery.

There is no single “magic bullet” which can, at a sweep, resolve these issues. There is,however increasing evidence that systematic fitness assessments can address some, of

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these issues, by interpreting a pupil’s performance comparing scores - not with one another

- but against reference values specific to the pupil’s age and gender

What is fitness assessment?

Fitness assessment ideally comprises a battery of measurements designed to measure the

multiple elements of physical fitness and health status of an individual or group. Tests

should be applied systematically and in a standardised manner, usually by experts.Cardiovascuar fitness testing is most commonplace but assessments should ideally assess

multiple factors including :strength, stamina, speed, power, or agility.

Long used by the armed forces, police and fire service, fitness assessments are increasingly

being employed by companies, governing bodies and health organisations, to determine

individuals’ overall health and fitness to fulfill specific roles. Assessments are also now

routinely used by coaches, medical practitioners, and personal trainers to help evaluation

and refinement of exercise programmes and in identifying and diagnose numerous

conditions.

Why use fitness testing?

Physical fitness is the most important indicator of an individual’s current and even future

health. The US, Canada, Australia and Singapore have routinely collected fitness data on

their school populations for many years. Even the British Government has recognised that

the monitoring of youth fitness can be a key part of public health surveillance. The

government strategy “Be Active, Be Healthy” has emphasized the part that objective fitness

testing could play in observing trends.

 As far back as 2009 the government’s Chief Medical Officer Sir Liam Donaldson

advocatedcomprehensive fitness testing in schools.

Correctly applied, fitness testing can be used to design exercise programmes to improve

fitness, for talent identification to highlight any current health conditions or risk, or to learn

about past injuries.

Where testing assesses different types of fitness, it can provide opportunities for childrenwho might not be “fit” (in the conventional use of the term) to express good scores in theless frequently evaluated components such as strength, power and coordination.

In addition, testing can also promote avenues of participation in activities which overweightor less active kids might not have otherwise considered.

Most significantly, fitness testing has been shown to have an extremely positive effect on thechildren themselves.

Evidence has shown that fitness testing can provide a vital tool to encourage children to

increase their fitness. In the USA, compulsory fitness for 10-15 year olds resulted in an 8%

improvement in fitness levels over three years.

 At the same time, children participating in fitness testing have be shown to have increased

interest in, and motivation for, participating in more physical activity. This has been

supported by research that suggests self-perception of athletic ability is a key determinant of

participation – thus those children who receive positive feedback from fitness testing are

more likely to begin, or continue, participating in physical activity.

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 About Fitmedia

Fitmedia is a specialist fitness test delivery and interpretation company, which providestraining, softward and support to schools and sports organisations that wish to assessfitness.

Fitmedia was established by sport and fitness professionals, who were frustrated at the lack

of effective, efficient fitness testing for children. Working with two of the UK’sacknowledged experts in this area, Dr Gavin Sandercock and Dr Daniel Cohen, Fitmedia

created a test battery, training package and data interpretation software which provides a

simple, sustainable assessment of fitness. Age specific scores and feedback can give

children (particularly those who are not interested in sport) a means by which to they can

engage with exercise and monitor improvements accurately and meaningfully.

Our testing

The Fitmedia testing programme consists of a series of physical tests, which, taken together,

are designed to measure the overall fitness levels of children.

Users can choose for a menu of seven physical tests, covering cardiorespiratory fitness,

strength, power and muscular endurance.

Standardised instructions mean each test can produce a valid performance index which is

automatically benchmarked against what would be expected for a child of their age and sex.

Scores are combined to provide a comprehensive overview of the child’s fitness levels.

Feedback on individual tests used, where a child is naturally talented or has a natural ability

in a particular area, which might make them suitable for particular sports or activities. It

can also highlight potential areas of concern, such as low levels of fitness, potential health

issues, or injury risk.

How our testing can benefit you

Our testing systems can provide significant benefits to sporting staff in schools, including:

•  A detailed and accurate picture of individual’s health-related fitness

levels – because our seven tests assess different elements of fitness, they enable

teachers and coaches to build up a more detailed and comprehensive picture of a

child’s health and fitness. This can then be provided to and discussed with, parents ,

along with the children’s results.

The easily understood percentile benchmarking (mark out of 100) system gives asensitive and accurate picture of overall fitness. This is much more informative thansimply comparing scores with a single threshold value or above or below theaverage. This can then provide objective and transparent measures for initial ‘streaming’ in PE, independent on prior experience of the individuals.

• Tests assess different kinds of fitness – children are different and are good at

different things. Our tests have been specifically designed to assess a variety of

different fitness types and aptitudes. This allows sporting staff to assess an

individual’s physical activity needs and what they might best be suited to.

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Fitness testing cannot solve all the problems faced by PE teachers today. But, hopefully, it

can make life a little bit easier.

For more information about f itness testing, please contact Fitmedia atinfo@fitmediafitness.co.uk  or visit our website at www.fitmediafitness.co.uk  

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