School – Physical Education, Physical Activity-Related Policy, and Programs

B
2018 Grade: C
2016 Grade: C

Benchmark

% of schools with active school policies (e.g., daily PE, daily physical activity, recess, “everyone plays” approach, bike racks at school, traffic calming on school property, outdoor time).

% of schools where the majority (≥80%) of students are offered the mandated amount of PE (for the given state/territory/region/country).

% of schools that offer physical activity opportunities (excluding PE) to the majority (>80%) of their students.

% of schools with students who have regular access to facilities and equipment that support physical activity (e.g., gymnasium, outdoor playgrounds, sporting fields, multipurpose space for physical activity, equipment in good condition).

Key Findings
  • According to PE Key Learning Area Curriculum Guides (Primary 1-Secondary 6) of the EDB of the HKSAR:
    • At the primary level and junior secondary level, schools should allocate 5%-8% of the total lesson time to General PE;
    • At the senior secondary level, schools should allocate at least 5% of the total lesson time in General PE through Other Learning Experiences. In addition, PE is an elective subject of the senior secondary curriculum and accounts for 10% of the total lesson time over a course of three years.
  • According to a study among 10 secondary schools, the PE lesson time ranged from 80 to 100 minutes per week/per cycle, which was approximately 53% - 83% of the amount recommended in the other place. More importantly, the proportion of PE lesson time spent in MVPA was as low as 18.5% among 26 local schools, which was significantly lower than the recommendation of 50% in the U.S.
  • According to a teacher survey in 2013-2014, local schools had on average four physical activity facilities (ranging from 0 to 16) and 4.6 physical activity programs (excluding PE classes) per academic year (ranging from 0 to 20).
  • Since 2001, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) has implemented the School Sports Programme (SSP) for students of primary and secondary schools. In the 2018/19 school year, about 90% of schools took part in the Scheme and over 8,500 programmes were organized for about 635,000 students (https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202002/26/P2020022500621.htm?fontSize=1).
  • To mitigate the adverse impact of school closure during the pandemic, concerted efforts have been made to help schools manage the online PE classes. For instance, a project funded by the Hong Kong Jockey Club supported a range of sports initiatives for children and adolescents including teachers’ training and online PE instructions (https://corporate.hkjc.com/corporate/corporate-news/english/2021-05/news_2021051101710.aspx).