Cross-country 'is physical abuse'

Athlete Paula Radcliffe uses cross-country running in training

Cross-country running at school could be a form of physical abuse, a textbook for teenagers suggests.

A chapter of the book, distributed by Co-ordination Group Publications, says children have the right to protection from physical and emotional abuse.

It lists bullying and cross-country runs as possible examples.

Margaret Talbot, chief executive of the Association for Physical Education, said this "trivialised" abuse and was based on an "outdated notion" of PE.

'Just sloppy'

More than 30,000 copies of the book, designed for 14 to 16-year-olds studying citizenship, have been distributed to schools.

The chapter which mentions cross-country running is called "Your legal rights".

Prof Talbot said: "I think what is in the book is just sloppy. They haven't researched it properly.

"It gives ammunition to backroom lawyers. This is counter-productive, as so many PE teachers try so hard.

"Cross-country is not the blunt instrument that everyone remembers when they think of school sport. It's not a case of the whole school doing it anymore just because the playing fields are out of use."

Rates of child obesity have tripled during the last 20 years.

If current trends continue, half of all under-18s in England could be obese by 2020, according to government figures.

'Popular'

Prof Talbot said cross-country running could help overcome this, adding: "It is becoming very popular in primary schools and for pupils who don't like sports where they compete directly with others, like football.

"Top athletes such as Paula Radcliffe use it as part of their training regime.

"What we must not try to do is put children off sport. The book is using an outdated notion of what cross-country running is all about."

But a Co-ordination Group Publications spokeswoman said the guide was "light-hearted" and intended to make citizenship subjects "accessible" to teenagers.

She said: "It is used as an aid for starting discussions. It seems the part about cross-country has been taken as a serious suggestion, but it is simply a way of getting students involved."

A Department for Education and Skills spokesman added: "It is not official guidance. We encourage all children to do at least two hours of high-quality PE a week."