Is it true that private schools call it 'Games' instead of 'PE'?

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IdioticMutterings@reddit

My secondary school called them Games and PE.
Games was on Fridays, and involved a game of football, rugby, or basketball.
PE involved what would now be classed as "gym", running on the spot, push ups, sit ups, etc.

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rainbosandvich@reddit

Nah games is also a northern thing. Went to a rough as fuck comprehensive in Scarbados and they called it games. One year two different girls were pregnant and there were two different "gangs" at the same school. By gang I mean less postcode wars, more Smithy Boi

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Go2Matt@reddit

Public school
PE was track stuff really and games was football or tennis or basketball etc

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beneyh@reddit

Games was played on a Wednesday every week. PE was done on a Tuesday. That’s from private school

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_mister_pink_@reddit

Weird, I also went to private school and PE was on Tuesday and games was on Wednesday. Is there some traditional reason behind games on a Wednesday or just coincidence?

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Afraid-Priority-9700@reddit

Interestingly, Wednesday afternoons are also set aside for sports at university and in the Army. I don't know which onr started it, but it's a tradition across multiple institutions.

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skittlesdabawse@reddit

This might have changed but I'm France primary school children for Wednesday afternoons off

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Zephinism@reddit

Same in Switzerland

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MalignEntity@reddit

Do they give parents paid time off work to care for them? It might be difficult otherwise

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CelDidNothingWrong@reddit

Used to be the case in the UK, at least until 70s

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WeDoingThisAgainRWe@reddit

The universities are obviously deliberately that way so the various university competitions can run.

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Mc_and_SP@reddit

This is the reason, yes. It’s a holdover from a time where most university students came from private schooling.

Boarding schools used to be pretty lawless because the students had nothing to do, then they got the idea to create things like house systems and playing organised sport against each other to give them a sense of responsibility (and also to tire them out.)

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Braylien@reddit

Great info, thanks

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londonflare@reddit

If you’re playing sport against other schools it makes sense to do it all on the same day

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BillWilberforce@reddit

But that's always a Saturday.

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baldeagle1991@reddit

I was in a state school and I'm pretty sure most of our games were on wednesday, with the occasional match on Saturdays in winter.

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WeDoingThisAgainRWe@reddit

Same.

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jesussays51@reddit

Makes sense that everyone at schools would play on the same day.

At state school Wednesday was an early finish at 2:30 instead of 3:15. But it was also the same days the sports teams would play each other. My friends mum owned a florist and I believe that traditionally small businesses would close early on a Wednesday. Maybe all these are related.

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Cold-Society3325@reddit

In public schools, games on Wednesday afternoon was the trade-off for Saturday morning school. Tgat's what happened at my brother's school.

My private girls school had games and no PE but we did have gym and dance.

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sc00022@reddit

Because schools are playing each other across the country so there needs to be a consensus on which day is the sports day. Same reason universities all do their fixtures on Wednesdays.

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_mister_pink_@reddit

Yeah this seems to be it. I wonder when the Wednesday=gamesday first came to be

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mattcannon2@reddit

If you're forming a large team, or competing with other schools or institutions, it really helps if everyone is free at the same time.

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DualWheeled@reddit

It's because all the private schools teams play each other.

Maybe it started as tradition but if everyone does games on a wednesday afternoon then no one is missing geography to play hockey against the school in the next county over.

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Holiday_Cat_7284@reddit

I worked at a private school and games was on a Wednesday afternoon. It involved other schools coming to compete in matches, or ours going to their schools. So I guess they all follow the schedule for match purposes. I used to organise the food for parents after the matches and there was always some left. Delicious.

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ZaharaWiggum@reddit

So schools can play each other?

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fr3yababii33@reddit

Yea if you played in a team, for example Netball, Hockey, Basketball, Tennis, Cricket I think were done at my school.

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londonbrewer77@reddit

It’s on purpose - it means you can have inter-school matches. We were the same.

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BarryIslandIdiot@reddit

Wednesday was the day in the army sports were traditionally played. There's probably a connection there somewhere.

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James20985@reddit

Games at universities is also done on a Wednesday possibly a link there?

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Dyalikedagz@reddit

Ours was the same. Non-private school

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Immediate-Escalator@reddit

My grammar school did the same. Games on a Wednesday afternoon was specifically for sports like rugby and football and was when the schools teams would have their matches. PE was more general through the week and would be things like athletics or the bleep test.

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tarmac-the-cat@reddit

State school in the 80s. Games was a double, outside on pitches/athletics. Whole year group at the same time. PE was a lesson a week in the gym as a form group.

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fr3yababii33@reddit

Games were on a Wednesday for me too! Double slot iirc, lesson 5&6. PE I think was a Friday?

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barriedalenick@reddit

We did PE on Monday, games on Tuesday, house games Wednesday, games on Thursday, PE on Friday and school games on Saturday afternoon.

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feebsiegee@reddit

It was games at the boarding school I went to

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TheGeordieGal@reddit

State school back in the 90s - we had PE which was more individual stuff - running etc - and then games which was more team sports like netball or hockey (or tennis).

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This_Rom_Bites@reddit

My bog standard comp secondary school had a 2 hour block badged 'games' and a 1 hour block badged 'PE'.

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Silencer-1995@reddit

PE - running and shit

Games - Rugby and football and shit

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Da_Tute@reddit

Private schooler.

PE was a single class in the sports hall for one session (around an hour). Maybe 5-a-side football, maybe squash, maybe gymnasium, maybe just cardio.

Games was outside on the fields for a whole afternoon (three hours) and took the whole year group of three classes. One term of rugby, one term of hockey, one term of cricket.

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cornishyinzer@reddit

I went to a very-much-not-private school, and we called it Games too. However, it must be said this was a school that very much thought of itself as being of a higher class than others in the area (and to be fair, it mostly was) but it was just a 'normal' school in every real way.

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mr_woodles123@reddit

Mine did games one afternoon a week for each year group and PE once a week during the morning.

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DookuDonuts@reddit

Games and PE were different at my catholic school. Former was rugby, swimming, tennis or cricket. Latter was bleep and basic exercise.

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MarkFannon@reddit

State educated here. Was games too. PE was for students doing the GCSE PE course

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hombiebearcat@reddit

They were bundled into the same thing ("PE") at my grammar school, now I teach at a private school (or rather at an institution adjacent to one, seeing some of the kids from it - bit of a unique situation) and the kids only ever mention games and not PE

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PopTrogdor@reddit

I went to a private school. PE was Wednesday half day.

Never called games. Maybe other schools, but the two I went to never had Games. Just PE.

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Kind-Combination6197@reddit

Where I went to school, Physical Education and Games were two different things.

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Marcvambe@reddit

I went to a state secondary school. We had PE and Games. PE was more athletics like cross country, bleep tests, and then Games was sports like rounders, quick cricket etc.

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ThatThingInTheCorner@reddit

In my state school, all we had was PE, and 90% of the time it was just football which I hated. Never heard anyone say 'games' at school

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OrdinaryHovercraft59@reddit

Never went to private school and we had games

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zigzog7@reddit

I went to a state grammar, PE was a single length lesson usually in the sports hall or the pool, Games was a double lesson on an afternoon (which afternoon depended which year you were in)

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ALFABOT2000@reddit

I went to a state primary school and we had both. Normally PE was just one class and indoors, and Games was the whole year group and outdoors

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Al89nut@reddit

I went to a comprehensive and it was Games

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Azyall@reddit

Same. This was late '70s/early '80s.

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insomnimax_99@reddit

At my private school, we had PE and Games.

PE was generally inside stuff like swimming, whereas Games was outside stuff like rugby.

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captainslow84@reddit

We had this (standard rural-ish state secondary). It was mostly useful so you knew what kit to bring in on any particular day.

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Nine_Eye_Ron@reddit

Same, rural 2ndary, Wednesday afternoon was Games.

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muppsyton@reddit

Yeah this. PE was mandatory inside exercise. Games was outside team sports like rugby or football which became less mandatory as you moved through school.

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National-Pay-8911@reddit

Yeah was same at our school. We usually had double PE first thing which was either swimming or something in the sports hall, then triple Games in the afternoon after dinner which was rugby/ football/ cricket/ athletics

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sandbadger@reddit

Private school.

PE was a class where we'd do all sorts of things from learning body mechanics, nutrition as well as all sorts of sports.

Games was where we dod organised sports (rugby, football cricket etc depending on the term).

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Rubytitania@reddit

At the private school I went to games and PE were separate and we had both weekly. Games was a full afternoon of outdoor stuff - things like rugby, cricket, rounders, netball, tennis, hockey, rowing, athletics, cross-country. PE was a single period once or twice a week and involved indoor sports hall stuff like circuits, the dreaded bleep test, badminton etc. Swimming was also separate.

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Mc_and_SP@reddit

PE was more of an actual “lesson” whereas games felt more like “training” - if that makes sense?

PE was to actually learn some new skill, games was more to practice if you were on the school team (or to play a fixture.) Kids who weren’t on the team still had to do something though.

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WaxCatt@reddit

It was known as PE in my prep school and independent sixth form. I'm pretty sure it was known as Games for at least some of the people I know who were boarders.

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elmo_touches_me@reddit

My school (no-fee selective grammar school) had both.

PE was shorter (1 hour), involved a broad range of activities with mixed gender/ability and was usually indoors. Examples include bleep test, dodgeball, table tennis, gym circuits, running.

Games was longer (1h40m-2h), mostly involved 'traditional' sports like rugby/football/cricket/hockey, and was usually split in to ability groups. It was taken more seriously, and seen as practice for the main sports the school had teams for.

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acceberbex@reddit

Games and PE are different. Games was a whole afternoon and would be hockey, netball, rounders type things. PE was a single lesson (40 mins)and would be swimming, basketball, bleep test, gymnastics, stuff like that.

At my junior school, Tuesday and Thursday were Games (netball and hockey in winter, tennis and rounders in summer) with inter-school matches on Wednesdays. That was the whole prep school - yr 4 and 5 were grouped together, yr 6,7,8 grouped together (was a small school with only about 300 pupils in the entire school) . PE was just your class.

In more high school age, PE was done by English sets and within the normal timetable. Games I think was Wednesday (again, all years split into smaller groupings but also had more choice of "games" so could do athletics, squash, badminton, use of gym etc - we put down choices (based obviously on what your friends put down) and then you were assigned a sport each term I think..usually got first choice but had to put 3 down)

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jungleddd@reddit

Games = outdoors. PE = indoors.

I went to private school

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Glittering-Round7082@reddit

We had both at my comprehensive school.

PE was physical education, IE fitness and running and climbing etc.

Games was a sports afternoon.

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Fingers_9@reddit

I went to a comp in South Wales. Games was rugby/football in the winter and cricket/athletics in the summer. PE was badminton, volleyball and cross country.

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Constant_Pace5589@reddit

Same. State school. PE was usually cardio or using that dusty equipment in the gym, the rope and horse and whatnot. Games was a training session for rugby or football, whichever you played. (Or hockey or netball)

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chriscringlesmother@reddit

I went to a shitty comprehensive and we had games and PE no discernible difference in my school life.

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CommunityOld1897GM2U@reddit

It's not only a private school thing.

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mostly_kittens@reddit

I used to go to a comprehensive and we had both games and PE. Games was stuff like football, rugby etc while PE was indoor stuff or cross country running.

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Sea-Still5427@reddit

Games was done outdoors, usually daily, on a pitch and as a team (not a very imaginative school, no athletics to speak of). We also had gym.

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therealdan0@reddit

Went to a comprehensive school in an ex mining village in early/mid 00s. As working class as it gets. Games and PE were two separate lessons with separate kit. Each one once a week. Games was rugby/football/rounders/cricket and the kit was a rugby kit. PE was athletics/gymnastics/callisthenics/basketball and, when the teacher was hungover and/or couldn’t be arsed to get equipment out, running laps of the rugby field for an hour.

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iamworsethanyou@reddit

I went to a normal school, everyone had games, GCSE PE kids had PE as well.

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yesbutnobutokay@reddit

It was PT in ours and RE was called Divinity, taken by our Chaplain, Holy Joe.

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HawkwardGames@reddit

It isnt just private schools that do this?

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Rude-Possibility4682@reddit

No Games was always the long afternoon on a Wednesday which was around 2. 5 hours, football or rugby. P. E. Was our Monday and Friday hour mostly spent in the gym doing ropes, wallbars, diving on to the crash mat and rolly pollys State school.

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cvslfc123@reddit

In my high school which was far from a private school Games was what they called PE in year 10 and 11

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slade364@reddit

Games was training for rugby, football, cricket, rowing. We always played matches on a Saturday (away games meant you missed some lessons which was great).

P.E. was things like the bleep test, pretending we know how to play basketball, indoor hockey, random shit tbh.

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Illustrious-Divide95@reddit

No

"Games" was all the sports you did in the afternoons.

PE was called exactly that in one of my schools and 'Gym' in the other one

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kobi29062@reddit

Went to a grammar school in Northern Ireland (we don’t really have private schools), we had PE and games, PE was fitness oriented and games you would choose either field hockey or rugby for autumn/winter, and cricket/rugby/rotation for spring/summer. Rotation you had a combination of touch rugby, quick cricket, 7 a side, rounders, etc. I was one of the better cricket players and one year I chose rotation just to really take the piss when we did quick cricket

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johnlooksscared@reddit

At my state school when it was a double period outside it was games....single period inside it was PE

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Regular-Employ-5308@reddit

PE was a 40 minutes lesson and was physical conditioning , drills , gymnastics , basketball or some other dread game like bulldog , Games was a whole afternoon 2-3 hours out on the playing fields , usually football cricket rounders rugby tennis hockey etc - state grammar school , 1990s

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carbonated_coconut@reddit

My public school had them both. PE was a class, Games was "time for organised fun but it has to be sporty"

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kackers643259@reddit

We had both, PE was generally courts and indoor sports (so basketball, tennis, hockey for example) and games was generally field sports (so things like football and rugby but also things like javelin and shot put) - PE was also only ever one lesson slot, games always took up two

From what i understand the people that took PE for GCSE actually learned about fitness and nutrition in classrooms as well as just doing the sports

I went to a grammar school though sports was one of the things it specialised in

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kackers643259@reddit

We had both, PE was generally courts and indoor sports (so basketball, tennis, hockey for example) and games was generally field sports (so things like football and rugby but also things like javelin and shot put) - PE was also only ever one lesson slot, games always took up two

From what i understand the people that took PE for GCSE actually learned about fitness and nutrition in classrooms as well as just doing the sports

I went to a grammar school though sports was one of the things it specialised in

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Greedy_Investigator7@reddit

At mine, PE was sports hall or swimming pool-based exercise. 45m, twice a week, could be any time of day.

Games was rugby, football, cricket, athletics etc (depending on time of year) for a two period session in the afternoon.

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PerformerOk450@reddit

I went to private school Wednesday was always games or football matches against other private schools.

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ignatiusjreillyXM@reddit

State school (albeit one with pretentions and with a bit of a focus on sport) in the 80s/early 90s: games was a double period and was always outdoors - rugby for boys (note my comment about pretentions) or cricket in the summer, hockey for girls but can't remember what they did in the summer. PE was a single period and might be indoors or outdoors - tennis, badminton, swimming (school had its own pool), etc

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louiselovatic@reddit

I went to a non private secondary school and we called all sports lessons games

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SnowflakeBaube22@reddit

I went to a Scottish state school and had never heard of “games” until recently lol

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curiouslyhungry@reddit

At my (state grammar school) Games was outdoors (rugby, cricket, football, hockey, running etc). PE was inside

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Flat-Ad8256@reddit

I went to a state school. PE was swimming, gym, that sort of thing. Single period. Games was rugby, football, cricket. Always double period, always Weds afternoon

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Falloffingolfin@reddit

I went to a school in a deprived area in the 90s that was ranked amongst the worst in the country, and we did PE and Games. They were two separate things. PE was an hour in the hall with the apparatus doing various fitness activities, and games was a couple of hours in the afternoon where we'd train in football, Rugby or Cricket (mostly football), then have a game. Certainly wasn't tied to private school then because mine couldn't be further away.

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AuroraDF@reddit

I've worked in primary schools and prep schos. Preps have PE and Games. State schools only have PE.

(incidentally, in my current school, each year group has their Games on a different day, so it doesn't have to be Wednesday!)

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fussyfella@reddit

I went to a state school and we had both "games" (when you played things like football) and PE when it was typically indoor exercises with apparatus.

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kmaclennan@reddit

Games was Wednesday afternoon in the playing fields. PE was Tuesday/Friday at the gym.

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max1304@reddit

PE was in scheduled lesson time and usually in the gym with those weird racks and horrid ropes. Games, or eccer, was in the afternoons.

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Hefty_Anywhere_8537@reddit

We called it games, normal state school, rural Norfolk, 1990s

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beeurd@reddit

My high school called it both games and PE, this was a state school in the 90s.

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TooHighToHearYou@reddit

I wasn't in a private school and I did PE up until Year 10 when it stopped being in place of a normal lesson and actually being focused on teaching, and it switched to Games on a Thursday afternoon where we did more relaxed stuff without a teaching aspect

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lesterbottomley@reddit

Bog standard comprehensive decades ago and it was PE on the timetable but everyone called it games.

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Puzzleheaded-Sky-146@reddit

My dad used to call it PT, and I remember my gran and a lot of older people used to call it Drill

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thefreeDaves@reddit

No. I went to a comprehensive and games was for sports and PE was long distance running or gym work.

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davidbrooksio@reddit

Very average comprehensive, games (usually outside) and pe (usually indoors).

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anabsentfriend@reddit

I didn't go to private school. I'm Gen X. We had PE in primary and middle school (general running about, hula hooping and balancing a beanbag on your head) and then it switched to being called games in secondary. Probably because it was mainly team games (football, rugby, netball, hockey). We didn't play team sports in primary or middle (under 12 years old).

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Inner-Device-4530@reddit

Former grammar school. PE was either a half or 1 hour lesson, often basketball or other game in sports hall. Games was a whole afternoon (sometimes a whole morning) on the games field playing rugby in the winter (occasionally football) cricket and athletics in the summer and cross country if the games master hadn't had his oats in a while

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PresidentPingu1@reddit

PE only at my daughter’s private school

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jbkb1972@reddit

I went to a state school and we called it games

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User-mine@reddit

Not a private school.

PE: Gymnastics. Trampolining. Circuit. Fitness etc

Games: Football, Rugby, Cricket etc.

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nffc_simon@reddit

State Grammar school.

PE was 1hr per week, just your form, usually playing “different” sports e.g. basketball, volleyball, table tennis etc.

Games was one entire afternoon per week, the entire year (3 forms at my school). You could pick your preferred sport. Cross country was often mandatory at the start of the session.

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logant0711@reddit

I went to a grammar school and games and pe were separate. PE is generally learning two sports over a term and games was playing a game such as rugby or handball

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DualWheeled@reddit

Pe was about fitness and exercise, running and jumping etc.

Games was hockey and rugby and football.

We did both at my independent.

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Open-Difference5534@reddit

I went to a state school, PE was fannying about in the gym, Games was playing football, rugby, cricket, athetics, depending on the time of year.

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MattyFTM@reddit

We did PE from year 7-9 when there was an educational element to it. Year 10 & 11 when actual PE was an optional GCSE subject, the rest of us did two hours of "Games" a week.

This was a normal state secondary school.

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Zealousideal-Wash904@reddit

We had both. One period of PE which was done in the gym and a double period on an afternoon where we did Games which was hockey in the autumn & winter and netball in the spring. My school was quite posh as it had been a private school and had only recently become a state school.

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amandacheekychops@reddit

We called it Games at primary school, and PE at secondary. Both were state schools and this was 80s/90s.

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crucible@reddit

I went to a state comprehensive and we had separate Games and PE lessons.

Games was a double lesson with sports split by gender, unless you were in the group of not very sporty kids. PE was a mixed class with your form group.

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mr_iwi@reddit

Games was team sports and outside. PE was inside and rubbish things like gymnastics and circuits.

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And_Justice@reddit

I went to a state school, we had 1 PE and 1 games lesson a week - PE was in sets and was more fitness oriented whilst games was mixed ability and well... games

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slippery-pineapple@reddit

Games was like team sports that you practiced on Tuesday and Thursday afternoon and had matches with other teams on most Wednesdays and some Saturdays. PE was a single period in the week, usually had a term of swimming then rotating things like Gymnastics, Dance etc

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Significant-Egg8119@reddit

We had games and PE in a comp. Games was outdoor sports, PE was inside stuff in the gym.

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SnoopyLupus@reddit

Normal school and we had games and PE. Games was the longer outside thing where we’d play football or rugby. PE was in the gym. Basketball, vaulting, climbing.

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MsAndrea@reddit

I didn't go to a private school and we had both Games and PE. Games was an actual competition, often on muddy and miserable fields, that required showers afterwards because you were filthy. It was a double lesson, there was no way you could get I'd done in a single lesson. PE was a much shorter single lesson elsewhere in the timetable, in theory with training sessions, although in practice it was just a truncated indoor games lesson.

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mariah_degiorgio@reddit

Went to a girls school - we had both PE and games. Games was typically teams sports like netball, hockey, rounders. PE was athletic stuff, and usually a shorter timetable slot.

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ben_vtr@reddit

Grammar school, we called it games. Wednesday afternoon

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Ok-Exam6702@reddit

I went to a public school. PE was an actual lesson in the gym and Games was every afternoon, rugby in winter and cricket in summer.

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Alwayslearnin41@reddit

I went to a state school. We had double games one afternoon, and single PE one day a week. That was in the 90s.

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ALA02@reddit

PE was a single period in the morning with the class playing the more niche stuff (tennis, hockey, etc), games was a double in the afternoon as a whole year group, only playing the main sports (football, rugby, cricket)

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n_jobz_@reddit

I went to a state comp and had both.

PE was indoors things like dance and gymnastics.

Games was outdoor stuff like rugby and football.

Each lesson had its own kit.

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CommercialAd2154@reddit

At our (selective, fairly posh but not private) school we called outdoor physical education ‘Games’ and indoor physical education ‘PE’

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Cheese-n-Opinion@reddit

We used both terms in my very not private rough as chuff high school. Officially it was all down on the timetable as 'PE' but in conversation we'd often call it 'games'. Unless it was swimming, which was pretty much the only time PE wasn't based round some game or other.

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BlackJackKetchum@reddit

Boys’ grammar school with a Welsh Rugby international (and near psychopath) master - we called it PE.

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Perfectly_Other@reddit

I went to a state grammar school.

Games was a double period either just before or just after lunch depending on the year group, primarially focused on team sports such as rugby, hockey or cricket.

pe was a seperate single period lesson focused on more individual fitness & sports, badminton, swimming, gymnastics etc. or team sports that could only be played indoors (basketball)

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Laorii@reddit

I can hear the accents of all of these comments.

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awnpugin@reddit (OP)

raaah no you caaaahn't

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quite_acceptable_man@reddit

I went to a grammar school, and PE was done in the gym, sometimes using the 'apparatus'. There were two PE lessons a week, and it was just your class.

'Games' was always once a week, the last period of the day, and was the whole year group. It was Rugby in the winter, and cricket in the summer.

I hated every second of it.

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Appropriate_Trader@reddit

I went to a state secondary school games was usually team sports which meant football for boys and netball/hockey for girls. PE was kinda individual focused, gymnastics or athletics.

Then when I went to college I picked up PE as an A-level because how could running and jumping be? Turns out anatomy, physiology, history, psychology, bio-mechanics was a lot tougher than I imagined. But it was by far the best subject I studied.

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Cal_PCGW@reddit

I was at secondary school from '78 to '85. This was a comprehensive school in SE London - very much not posh. We had two physical activities a week. PE was the short, one where we'd do stuff on the school grounds - gym, play netball or rounders, and so on. But we also had a longer session where we'd bus it out to some playing fields out Bromley way and play hockey (boys did football or rugby), or cross country if it was wet. Summer time we'd go somewhere else and play tennis.
We did have swimming, too, but the local pool closed so that put an end to that.

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LUNATIC_LEMMING@reddit

state and public schoolboy here

both had pe and games. PE was closer to an actual educational subject - covered things like muscle injuries, how to stay fit and why sort of thing. You got a grade in it and could do a gcse / a level, had exams and homework.

Games was always just rugby, football then cricket depending on the time of year. same at both schools. if anything it was better at the state school as more kids meant you were playing with people of your level of ability.

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JunzyB316@reddit

Went to a normal public school we had PE and games. Pe was per the curriculum and games was just to let us play football or cricket or whatever else ever week

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AhoyWilliam@reddit

Caveat: the relentless march of time plods on. My experiences are that of someone who was in school nearly 20 years ago.

I was sent to a private school. Games was for outdoor sports and it was a case of training/playing that sport in Games lessons for the entire term. PE was indoors and the sports would vary each lesson.

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Brilliant_Quail6889@reddit

I teach at a state school; pe is indoor and games is outside

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Cyanopicacooki@reddit

Mine had both = PE was in the gym, normally in the morning, Games was on the playing fields in the afternoons.

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Decalvare_Scriptor@reddit

Non private school decades ago and we used PE / games interchangeably.

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Working_Bowl@reddit

There’s both PE and Games on the timetable. PE is general physical education - focused physical skills. Games is whatever sport is on that term - currently it’s hockey for girls where we are, so it’s either hockey practise or an actually hockey match against another school. The kids play competitive sport from year 3 against other schools every week, and the sport depends on the term and if you’re a boy/girl (although some boys play the ‘girls’ sports and some girls play the ‘boys’ sports).

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MaidaValeAndThat@reddit

This was exactly how it worked at my school, although I don’t remember anyone doing the opposite genders sports. It was quite a few years ago though, so presumably that’s a recent change with the times.

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Working_Bowl@reddit

Most of the time the kids stick to the boys/girls. But definitely quite a few girls play in the boys football teams.

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Nuthetes@reddit

Called the two hour session games when I was at school -- it was always football. Not that I'm complaining. I enjoyed it.

The one hour session was PE and that was usually 5 aside football. I don't think our PE teacher knew anything else. He tried to have us do tag rugby occasionally, but nobody care and it went right back to football.

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Ok_Mousse6827@reddit

At my non fee paying school it was also PE and games. PE was like athletics and games was like football and rugby etc

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newnortherner21@reddit

My state junior school called the outdoor things like cricket, athletics and football games, and indoor things such as rope climbing P.E.

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gridlockmain1@reddit

Non-private school. PE was something you did normally indoors using some kind of apparatus or whatever. Games was when you had to play football, rugby etc out on the fields

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aje0200@reddit

Went to state school. We had PE for purely fitness based activities, such as gymnastics, trampolining, gym. Whereas games was for sports that you would call a game. So basketball, football, rugby.

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MaidaValeAndThat@reddit

I went to a private school - They were two separate lesson. Games was your team sports like Rugby, Football and Cricket and PE was the more athletic style sports like Swimming, Tennis, Running etc. I recall we also did hockey as part of PE at one point though.

They also had separate kits at my school. Everyone had their games kit in a big bag and had long socks, football/rugby boots, shin pads, mouth guard etc. Wheras PE was in a smaller drawstring bag with just light trainers, a polo shirt and shorts.

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Glenagalt@reddit

Private, and all timetabled physical activity was "games", although the kids on more intensive regimes (we're talking Olympic-level talent here) also had sport-specific "training" outside normal hours. Monday instead of last lesson, all Wednesday afternoon and all Saturday afternoon. Everyone had it at the same time, because some of the playing fields were several miles away and involved a fleet of hire buses.

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fluffyfluffscarf28@reddit

The school I worked at had a PE department and taught PE through GCSE and A-Level, but afternoons were often Games.

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Fyonella@reddit

State School 1970s. Games was a double period, once a week (so 80 minutes), hockey in the winter, tennis or athletics in summer.

PE was single period 3 times and was Netball, Gymnastics, Rounders etc,

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90210fred@reddit

Same period, was PE in first the years of comp, games thereafter.

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Farting_Llama@reddit

Late 80's / early 90's boarding school brat.

Two, two hour sessions a week in the middle of the school day, always referred to as 'Games'. This was an expensive private school that demanded results from sports teams, but left team selection pretty much up to 'prefects' and favoured kids who were part of the old-boy network or had parents who had donated a lot. The sports facilities were top-notch, but we rarely actually got to use them.

Of my cohort, three went on to be professional footballers (one briefly in the Premier League, mostly on the bench). They rarely got selected to represent the school, they were not the 'right sort'. It was bonkers. Another had a pretty good cricket career for a bit.

I left at Yr10 and went to a really good, at the time, local comp that actually had a proper gym with weights, and some good PE teachers. We were allowed to work out at lunch, if supervised. The difference was night and day, and kids who put the work in were able to play football for the school, a PE teacher ran the teams. And come to think of it, our girls teams for hockey and football were always winning.

Calling it 'Games' really stifled things, I think.

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Ineffable_Confusion@reddit

I went to an ordinary comprehensive. PE was for athletics/exercise/fitness, Games was for sports

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ScreenNameToFollow@reddit

Comprehensive.

We started off calling it games but this was discouraged (probably because it didn't sound as serious as the other subjects) and we reverted to PE by year 11.

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NortonBurns@reddit

Two different things.
PE is the mainly indoor running, jumping stuff.
Games is out on the field, football, rugby, cricket etc.

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MacSamildanach@reddit

I went to what was initially just a 'boys' school' (there was a 'girls' school' a mile down the road), but which turned 'Comprehensive' part way through my time there (as did the girls' school).

It always appeared on the timetable as 'Games'.

That covered football, rugby, cricket, hockey, track& field sports (including javelin and shot), basketball, cross-country, fencing, and occasional sessions involving medicine balls and the gym equipment.

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NotThatGoodAnymore@reddit

We had games on a Wednesday afternoon, for the entire after lunch half of the day. Thats when we dis inter-house competitions, football, rugby, hockey etc. PE was a lesson a couple of times a week.

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ZaharaWiggum@reddit

Private school 30 years ago, we had Games (hockey/netball/tennis), Swimming, Cross country in the winter and Athletics in the summer. It was never just called PE. It was also 3 full afternoons a week.

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sarahc13289@reddit

In my private school, we had both. Games was always a double period with both classes in the year, PE was a single lesson just with my form.

Games we did things like football, netball, tennis etc. PE was more like general exercise, bleep test, mini circuits etc.

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Relative_Sea3386@reddit

All the state comprehensive schools in my area also call it games (seasonal sport e.g. football, rugby in winter) and PE; they are on different days

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Any_Weird_8686@reddit

In my school, 'PE' meant it was indoors and 'Games' meant it was outdoors. No, it wasn't a private school, and no the weather/season did not factor into the difference even slightly.

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TooMuchBrightness@reddit

It’s Games in secondary school when you are playing outside team sports. PE for gymnastics and athletics? I didn’t go to private school. Private schools have the same set up for my kids.

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Joshouken@reddit

Grammar school

PE was just your class and usually indoor individual sports like swimming, badminton, squash, etc. but also sometimes tennis or rounders

Games was the whole year group and always outdoor sports like athletics, rugby, football, etc.

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StevieJax77@reddit

At mine “Games” was the weekly stuff everyone did. “PE” was the GCSE option you can take. Comp school.

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KrungThepMahaNK@reddit

I was in a Catholic comprehensive and we called it games

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Firthy2002@reddit

State school and it was always PE regardless of what we were doing, whether it was in the gym, in the sports hall for indoor games, or outside for outdoor games.

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Select_Scarcity2132@reddit

Went to comp and we had games and PE. Games was outdoor sports and PE indoor in the adjacent leasure centre.

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R2-Scotia@reddit

PE for a short session, Games for a long one

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PatientArugula7504@reddit

Yep. We had PE Tuesday or Thursday which was gymnastics, swimming, rounders or similar. We had a short games session on the other day and then one afternoon (Wednesday) for full games. Games was hockey in Michaelmas, rounders in Lent, athletics and rounders in summer for the girls. Matches were usually on Saturday afternoon or Wednesday/Thursday if you were lucky.

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Goose-rider3000@reddit

At my private school, games was when training for a specific sport. PE, was during lesson time and involved fannying around in the hall, playing volley ball or some shit.

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FireFingers1992@reddit

PE was more lesson-y. You'd often be covering technique, getting direct responses and guidance from the teacher etc. It was part of the lesson structure so varied year to year when it was happening. Games was every Tuesday afternoon regardless of year. This was less structured, so you'd just play another house at football or whatever. Still a teacher about but not trying to correct your free kick technique or whatever. It was more free, but also went inter house competitions were, as it was the only time everyone wasn't in lessons at the same time.

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Sad-Peace@reddit

Private school and it was officially 'Games' on the timetable but 99% of the time we called it PE

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Comfortable_Walk666@reddit

PE was two hours a week dedicated to general fitness etc. Games was Wednesdays and Saturdays afternoon (we had lessons Saturday mornings). Activities/societies were Thursday afternoons and CCF was Friday.

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Electronic-Stay-2369@reddit

I was at a state school. Games was outdoor stuff like football, cross-country, etc, always a whole afternoon. PE was one period in the gym, could be morning or afternoon. Hated all of it.

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sjb128@reddit

Read this and thought “since when did we call private equity games?!” I need to shut off on the weekends.

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concretepigeon@reddit

I went to a state school which just did games. Then moved to a private school. We did PE just with our form once a week and you’d do different sport/fitness topics kind of like you would any other subject (eg a half term on gymnastics) and then we had games once a week that was a double lesson with the whole year. If you did a sport you’d train with the squad and then there’d be other options like cross country.

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JorgiEagle@reddit

I went to a state school,

PE was things like track and field, athletics, cross country

Games was sports: football, rugby, softball, tennis etc

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DukeDuckie@reddit

Games - A set sport for the term. 'Games' would take up the entire afternoon for two days of the week. The sport was decided by school staff. At age 12 students are allowed to pick a sport they wish to pursue for games.

PE - General exercise for fourty minutes once a week. This changed depending on the season and age. Autumn - Gymnastics in the gym (younger ages) or weight lifting (older ages). Winter - Swimming. Spring - For some reason... basketball. Summer - Run laps of the paddock.

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VeryTrueThing@reddit

Private school in the 80s.

Games was a full afternoon a week with the whole year group doing Rugby or Hockey in the winter and Cricket or Athletics in the summer. At the school playing fields on the edge of town.

PE was a class at a time during the morning timetable and was Basketball, Badminton, Running, Swimming, etc. At facilities on the main school site.

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smoulderstoat@reddit

At my school PE was a single lesson during which we were tortured with various sporty things, whereas Games was a double lesson in which we were tortured with football or hockey matches.

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miurabull@reddit

Anybody else have Big Apparatus?

What we got next? PE. Cool, what we doing? Big apparatus.

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semicombobulated@reddit

My primary school was very much not posh, and we had PE (indoor gymnastics-type stuff) and Games (outdoor sports)

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itsfeckingfreezing@reddit

I went to a comp school we had both P.E & games

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steelsamurai_@reddit

left secondary school a few years ago, for us PE was the option subject you'd take at GCSE, and games was the mandatory hour of exercise every week (usually played rounders or table tennis)

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Fizl99@reddit

London comp and it was games

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DecentPrior2988@reddit

I didn’t go to a private school, I went to a grammar school though. We had PE and Games.

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nandos1234@reddit

NI grammar and Games was the afternoon classes where you played actual sports like hockey/rugby/netball. PE was the more dossy version.

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Superspark76@reddit

We had 2 separate lessons. PE was a single period lesson and was basically a sadistic teacher who liked to watch kids suffer.

Games was a double period and was usually rugby or hockey in winter, tennis, cricket or athletics in the summer. There was also swimming for a couple of months for every group and I was very fortunate that I was good at swimming so was able to swim constantly for my "games" and was in a lot of competitions while all my class mates were playing rugby on frozen ground

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Many-Giraffe-2341@reddit

I went to a grammar school, PE was done in the school gymnasium, Games was outside (regardless of weather) doing rugby, hockey, cricket or cross country.

I have vivid memories of playing rugby for 2 hours in the school required short shorts and short sleeve rugby top whilst it was. -4 degrees and hailing. The teachers were wrapped up in their waterproofs and woolly hats.

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Ashamed-Assumption12@reddit

I went to a state school. We had games and PE. Games was usually off site and was cross country, rowing (we were near the Thames) javelin, archery. PE was on site and stuff like netball.

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Poo_Poo_La_Foo@reddit

I went to a private schoola and I am fairly certain we called it games, yes. But more often than not, it was split out into different sports: hockey, rowing, fencing, etc.

I think you had to pick a sport every term? And there were dumb gendered rules. I hope that has changed by now!

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