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Growing and powerful evidence of the positive link between physical activity and improved mental health is building awareness of the need to provide children and young people with ample opportunities for sport and exercise. The importance of providing a broad curriculum in schools which includes sport, outdoor play and physical activity is clear.

A rich and exciting physical education is essential for children and teenagers, not only for those most vulnerable to suffering from mental health problems, but for all young people.
Through PE, children express themselves physically, challenge themselves and others, cooperate, compete and take risks. Physical Education helps to develop resilience, empathy, confidence and social skills – all vital for good mental health.

Activity also releases energy, enabling young people to ‘let off steam’ which helps to lower anxiety levels. The sense of the achievement that is often experienced by students can also make a significant contribution to positive mental health. Sport and physical activity affect the chemistry of the brain, improving mood both in the short and longer term. A positive PE experience at school can have a lasting impact on the mental health of young people for the rest of their lives.

However, evidence from the Sports and Physical Education Association (SPE) shows that at secondary school level, physical education is being squeezed out of the curriculum and increasingly, sport is not at the heart of secondary school life.

Primary and Secondary PE Provision

A recent survey* commissioned by SPE suggests that, while primary schools’ PE provision has been relatively well-funded thanks to the soft drinks levy or ‘sugar tax’, the same level of funding has not been available to secondary schools.

A number of Heads of Department in secondary schools responded to the survey; the sentiments expressed here were echoed by many others and suggest that secondary schools’ PE provision is in crisis:

“PE is becoming less of a priority and something that I feel is impacting upon young people’s mental health, especially as the pressure of GCSE and examination subjects increases. As a school we do well with what we have. but a significant shift in the last five years is having an detrimental effect on student health and fitness especially at KS4. I feel education in general is being stretched and that staff goodwill is more and more relied upon to fill the gaps that are being left. This is unsustainable and will force staff to push back against the constant increased demand placed upon them.”

“PE is being squeezed and with really poor facilities we are struggling to make the subject appealing to young people. We face a crisis in terms of involvement for the ‘mobile phone generation’.”

“PE has declined in importance in terms of fitness and is not a whole school priority anymore.”

*Based on survey responses from 161 primary and 154 secondary schools, Oct 2019

These standards now provide a presumption of conformity with the general safety requirement set out in Directive 2001/95/EC on General Product Safety. The following sporting goods products are affected: gymnastic equipment, bicycles, stationary training equipment and floating leisure articles for use on and in the water.

The General Product Safety Directive imposes general safety requirements for any product put on the market for consumers or for any product that is likely to be used by them.

A product is considered to be safe once it conforms to the safety provisions in European legislation, or, in the absence of such rules, if it complies with the specific national regulations of the member state where it is being marketed or sold. The product is also considered to be safe if it complies with the European standard established according to the procedures in this GPSD, but a risk assessment report is required.

Thus, if you are manufacturing products covered by the new harmonized standards, you can use these standards to demonstrate that your products comply with the safety requirements of the GPSD. Since those standards are quite recent, it should be enough, but the Commission nonetheless recommends checking if there are additional rules at national level covering the products.

Please also note that the use of harmonized standards is not mandatory. Manufacturers can demonstrate that their products meet the safety requirements of the Directive in other ways. However, harmonized standards provide a presumption of conformity (with the safety requirements they are covering). Hence, if your product respects the relevant standard it should automatically be considered as meeting the safety requirements of the GPSD.

More details: 

Please find attached/or website the Commission’s implementing decision granting 17 standards presumption of conformity with the general safety requirement of the General Product Safety Directive. Please find below the list of standards published which should be of interest to the sporting goods industry:

• EN 913:2018 Gymnastic equipment — General safety requirements and test methods
• EN ISO 4210-2-2015 Cycles — Safety requirements for bicycles — Requirements for city and trekking, young adult, mountain and racing bicycles
• EN ISO 4210-6-2015 Cycles — Safety requirements for bicycles — Frame and fork test methods
• EN ISO 20957-4:2016 Stationary training equipment: Strength training benches, additional specific safety requirements and test methods
• EN ISO 20957-5:2016 Stationary training equipment: Stationary exercise bicycles and upper body crank training equipment, additional specific safety requirements and test methods
• EN ISO 20957-8:2017 Stationary training equipment: Steppers, stair climbers and climbers — Additional specific safety requirements and test methods
• EN ISO 20957-9:2017 Stationary training equipment: Elliptical trainers, additional specific safety requirements and test methods
• EN ISO 20957-10:2017 Stationary training equipment: Exercise bicycles with a fixed wheel or without freewheel — Additional specific safety requirements and test method
• EN ISO 25649:2017 Floating leisure articles for use on and in the water

If you need further information, please contact Jane Montgomery – Email: jane@sportsandplay.com