Can Physical Education lessons be inclusive during Ramadan?

Growing up as a South Asian in England, comes with many challenges and I will be focussing on Ramadan and how PE lessons can be inclusive during this period.

It is important to highlight that not all Muslims are South Asian (from Pakistan, Bangladesh and India, however they do make up a high proportion of Muslims, globally (30.6%).

Ramadan is a time of year where Muslims across the world do not eat or drink from sunrise until sunset, for a month. This is a period of reflection and prayer. It is still very important to maintain a healthy lifestyle and to stay as fit as possible during this period. Children are not expected to fast until they reach puberty, usually around the age of 14.

When it comes to Ramadan, the main thing to remember is that is a very personal experience. Some people may seem absolutely fine and as if they are absolutely fine; but may be struggling. Just simply ask them how they are doing? Are they tired? Do they need a bit more time to complete a task? Do they need a break? If you do have that leadership role or hold that position, just simply let them know that you are there. This will make the whole process a lot easier for them, itis always the little things that matter.

Starting off this year as an NQT PE teacher, during Ramadan, at work, I  felt very pressured. All members of the department would direct questions to me. This ranged across topics such as students participating their PE lessons, dehydration and anything else related to Ramadan. I became that ‘Muslim of the department’ and in some regards this made me feel like I was othered; however I am fully aware that this was simply for knowledge and no one meant for it to be felt in that way. After having conversations with family members and other Muslims, I learned that I was not alone in this.

The key to being as fit and healthy as possible in Ramadan is to maintain you sleeping pattern, look after your diet and most importantly to keep hydrated. Training or carrying out any form of exercise or physical activity can be very strenuous due to dehydration and lack of energy. I’ve found the best time to train is about an hour to two hours after breaking your fast as you have some energy. There is no real perfect time to train or exercise, it comes down to what works for you as an individual. Some people find they can exercise at low intensities, whilst fasting and this works better for them. There are very few people, but they exist too; those who are not affected at all and can exercise at high intensities whilst fasting and are not affected at all (although this is not advised!)

I strongly believe that the word inclusive is thrown around and used just as a tick box in many lessons, for example, if you have a student in your class who cannot speak a word of English, just having their name written down on your lesson plan and pairing them up with someone who speaks the same language, will not make them feel included, it will make them feel othered. For them to be included, again it will be the little things like printing off translations of key terms used in your lessons etc.

Physical activity is extremely important for a teenagers’ health and wellbeing. During Ramadan, these should not be stopped, yet the should become less intense, so that the students observing The Holy Month of Ramadan are not ‘othered’ but included. I have witnessed a whole range of lessons across the spectrum where some teachers have allowed students to come in and just sit at the side, some teachers have expected students to complete a high intensity fitness lesson but I have only seen one school get it quite as perfect as they could, and be completely inclusive.

My placement school during my PGCE year were brilliant at making their students who were fasting, feel included just with a few small tweaks. All after school clubs and in school competitions were moved to before school, any revision classes were held before school or at lunch time as this is when students would have the most energy. All PE lessons were covering sports which were less strenuous for ALL students. Students were playing Table Tennis, OAA, Track Events for Athletics and Rounders. This was the perfect way for a school to be as inclusive as possible to students who were fasting, but they covered it in a way where no one felt othered.

So, can PE Lessons be inclusive during Ramadan? The answer is yes, thing need to be altered, timings need to change but it is definitely possible. If we take these small steps to help students feel included, this will definitely help to increase the number of Muslim’s taking part in physical activity. If they are shown that they can do this from a young age, they are much more likely to carry this on post-16. At a glance, across all major religions, those practicing the faith of Islam have the lowest numbers.