What does PE look like now?

What is the position of Physical Education and Outdoor Learning? 


There have been a variety of PE frameworks created in the last 40 years, from Bunker and Thorpe in 1982 (Griffin and Butler, 2005) focusing on developing skill through playing games; to, Siedentop (1994) using a variety of roles within sport for example participant, coach, captain. Thorburn and Horrell (2014) describe these as operational ideas of PE and outdoor learning, “developing talent [instead of] developing physical literacy and self-esteem” (p.622). Little has been discussed in recent decades that promote the wider responsibilities and benefits of PEOL learning other than the physical, thereby neglecting its role to develop social, emotional and environmental skills. The impact of COVID has highlighted the importance of being healthy in a holistic sense, and the importance of PEOL on primary school children to tackle physical and mental health as well as increase improve social skills, nature connectedness and environmental literacy. 

Despite PE being seen as a fun, energy expending subject, it has been advocated by research for many years within schools as an essential curriculum area (Blair and Capel, 2008; Kirk 2012; Lynch, 2019), evident as PE is the only subject on the national curriculum at both primary and secondary levels that is compulsory yet does not have an exam (unless studied at GCSE level). PEOL can provide an opening to reach all children aged four-17 without the pressure of an exam and to use PE to support wider development.

PEOL needs to be seen as a positive contributor to society and seen for its wider peripheral benefits of building self-esteem, confidence and that “physical activity is good for the brain and enhances learning, and it might amplify learning in other subjects such as mathematics and reading” (Cardinal, 2016, p.3).  As society recovers from COVID-19, PE must be seen as having an important role in education and society more broadly. 

Blair, R. and Capel, S. (2008) ‘Intended or Unintended? Issues arising from the implementation of the UK Government’s 2003 Schools Workforce Remodelling Act’, Perspectives in Education, 26 (2), pp. 105-121.

Cardinal, B. (2016) ‘Physical Activity Education's Contributions to Public Health and Interdisciplinary Studies: Documenting More than Individual Health Benefits’. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 87 (4), pp. 3-5

Griffin, L. and Butler, J (2005) Teaching Games for Understanding, Theory, Research and Practice. Leeds: Human Kinetics.

Kirk, K (2012) ‘The Future for Primary Physical Education’. Journal of Pedagogic Development, 3, pp. 38-44

Lynch, T., and Soukup, G.J. (2017) ‘Primary physical education (PE): School leader perceptions about classroom teacher quality implementation’ Cogent Education, 4:1

Siedentop, D. (1994) Sport Education. USA: Human Kinetics.

Thorburn, M and Horrell, A. (2014).  ‘Grand designs! analysing the conceptual tensions associated with new physical education and health and well-being curriculum’. Sport Education and Society. 9, pp. 621-636

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