The question:

What is the effect of Physical Activity Levels and Enhanced Physical Education on Academic Success?

The longitudinal nature and design of the study provides a unique opportunity to investigate the effect of enhanced physical education on the academic success of Australian children spanning both primary and secondary school environments . It would appear this will be the first longitudinal study to examine children's academic success and the effect of enhanced physical education on the children over a period of years.

A review of international and Australian literature, from at least the 1930s through to the present day, indicates some evidence linking an increase in physical activity with an improvement in scholastic attainment , both objectively measured and self-assessed.

In any case, even an indication that spending time on movement and physical education has no deleterious effect on academic performance would be an interesting outcome. This is especially true as many parents and teachers around the world may be concerned about spending valuable academic learning time on physical activities.

Clearly we need to apply an identical measurement tool throughout all the schools. The Commonwealth Government testing of numeracy and literacy in grades 3, 5, and 7 provides such consistency of approach. It is acknowledged that these tests only reflect certain aspects of academic status and this of course limits our interpretation.. The Commonwealth requires schools in Canberra to apply such testing in grades 3, 5, 7 and 9.