Push to replace school sport with chess revealed

The state’s physical education teachers are fighting a move to replace some school sports with what’s been dubbed a “lazy option”. Vote in our poll

The state’s physical education teachers have labelled a push to replace some school sports with playing chess and board games as “lazy” while obesity experts say they want kids doing at least moderate physical activity during school sport.

President of the NSW PDHPE Teachers Association’s Sydney East chapter Susan Turnbull said it was the wrong move in the face of the state’s childhood obesity crisis whereby one in five NSW children were beyond a healthy weight.

“The PE community, a lot of them are up in arms, others are just rolling with the punches because it is a fight they’re not going to win,” she said.

In addition to PE lessons, she said schools typically ran all school sport for a couple of hours one day of the week which was overseen by teachers from other departments.

“I don’t know the rationale behind it but there are some teachers out there who aren’t too keen on sport for a start.

“It certainly doesn’t fulfil NESA requirements for physically and nationally we have a quarter of all children obese or overweight.”

Isabela Micallef, Oliver Micallef and Joshua Micallef, play chess at home in Sydney. Picture: Newscorp Daily Telegraph / Gaye Gerard

Under current guidelines issued by the NSW Education Standards Authority, students from Kindergarten to Year 10 must complete at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every week at school.

Other NSW PE teachers have questioned how chess could meet that requirement after one desperate teacher at an unnamed NSW school appealed to his colleagues about how to resist a push from management to include chess.

“I am horrified at the thought, but it‘s been strongly suggested that chess be offered as an option for whole school sport … can this really be an option?” he wrote.

One teacher replied: “Lazy option and I hate it. Unfortunately some teachers from other faculties have to run sporting options for school sport and if they don’t appreciate physical activity and the benefits it has it makes it super hard for them to motivate students to do the same.”

Another teacher said “‘Film Appreciation’ has been offered previously” while another said “flower arranging” had also been available to students.

According to its website, Mosman High schools has had chess as a sport activity option listed on its website but a Department of Education spokesman denied this was currently the case.

Casino High School on the north coast includes the option of playing board games for their mandatory 150 minutes of planned moderate to vigorous activity every week.

A Department spokesman said: “Casino High School has eight support units for students with disability. For many of these students, board games are an appropriate activity in place of sport.”

Current guidelines state that students from kindergarten to Year 10 must complete at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every week at school.

University of Sydney obesity expert Professor Louise Baur acknowledged some children were not naturally good at sports but said the onus should be on schools to help them find things they enjoyed to set them up with good exercise habits later in life

“I think chess and board games are also important, but they should not be in place of good, fun activity programs,” she said.

“One of the last things I would want to do is see them sitting all the time … I would much prefer to see them getting outside and playing.”

Kellyville mum Jessica Micallef said her children Oliver, 7, Joshua, 10, Isabella, 12 loved playing chess but she also wanted them to be physically active.

“As a parent, since Covid they don’t spend a lot of time using computers. With lockdowns they’ve developed the habit of jumping on the computer,” she said.

“I don’t think chess is physical enough for a sport, I love it for its other developmental benefits and mind wise, I don’t think it is a good replacement...I would rather them go out and play.”

Originally published as Push to replace school sport with chess revealed