Physical education and sport at school in Europe

Physical education at school not only contributes to pupils' immediate fitness and good health, but also helps young people to perform and understand physical activity better with positive lifelong repercussions. Moreover, physical education at school brings about transferable knowledge and skills, such as teamwork and fair play, cultivates respect, body and social awareness and provides a general understanding of the 'rules of the game', which students can readily make use of in other school subjects or life situations. Because of its numerous benefits, the promotion of physical activity has received increased attention at European level. The 2009 EU Lisbon Treaty has given the European Union a legal basis to call for action to develop the European dimension in sport and to contribute to the promotion of European sporting issues. In view of these policy developments, and to better understand the situation of physical education in Europe today, a report, entitled Physical Education and Sport at School in Europe, has been produced by the Eurydice network. The report aims at mapping the state of play of physical education and sports activities at school in 30 European countries. The report can be regarded as the first attempt by the European Commission to identify key concerns and strengths regarding physical education at school in Europe. This brochure summarises key findings of the report