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and actual practice. Physical Education could, and should, have
a very direct and marked effect upon the mental growth and
characters of the children, as well as upon their general health;
but certain conditions are necessary in order to achieve these results,
the most important being the regular daily lesson.
"Physical Education in the Schools.—The long association of
physical training with mere mechanical "drill" and years of
instruction based upon earlier and more formal syllabuses found
many teachers rather unprepared for the changes made in the most
recent syllabus issued by the Board of Education in 1933. In other
cases free movement and general activity work had entirely replaced
the very necessary corrective type of purposeful movement, and
there was obvious need for some guidance in order to obtain a more
balanced conception of physical education. In the senior schools
where the work was usually in the hands of teachers possessing
some special qualification in physical education obtained by
attendance at holiday courses, a fair standard of work was generally
reached. Some schools, however, had no such specialist teacher
on the staff, and others had only one, making it very difficult to
arrange for every class to obtain the requisite number of physical
training periods per week.
"It was encouraging to be met with an immediate demand
from the teachers themselves for courses of instruction.
"Allocation of Time given to Physical Education.—In many
schools insufficient time was allowed for the work, and in other
schools, where the minimum of time recommended by the Board of
Education had been allowed, it was not always wisely distributed
to allow the necessary daily period of physical activity.
"Clothing.—The absolute necessity for suitable shoes for every
child in every school, and the importance of proper clothing, was
not generally realised. The children in the Senior Schools were
working in rubber shoes, and some of the teachers had endeavoured
to obtain suitable clothing, but in the Infant and Junior Schools
few children possessed rubber heel-less shoes and the majority were
overclad.
"Posture.—In few schools was sufficient attention paid to the
posture of the children, nor were the possibilities of the Physical
Training lessons in producing an upright body realised.
"Halls.—Because few of the schools yet possess a gymnasium
or special room reserved for Physical Education, the work in wet
weather has to be taken in the School Halls. These, therefore,
should be reserved for this subject whenever possible, so that