Champions of Inclusion and Diversity using Meaningful Physical Education in Primary Schools

Generalist primary school teachers are responsible for teaching physical education (PE) in most European countries. Current practices of primary PE are criticised for placing too much emphasis on sports, competition and performance in ways that privilege some children and exclude others (Wrench and Garret, 2017). Teachers of PE need to give greater attention to inclusion and diversity in planning, teaching and assessment (Penney et al, 2018). Teachers struggle to meet the needs of all children in PE, citing a lack expertise and skills (Mcveagh, Smith, and Randall, 2022). Yet, the practices adopted by these teachers are critical to the success of true inclusion policies (Vickerman and Hayes, 2012) and determine the outcomes for children’s participation in physical activity long after they leave primary schools. What primary teachers lack is a comprehensive, cohesive and accessible guide for teaching primary PE that integrates inclusion and diversity considerations.

Fletcher and Ní Chróinín (2022) propose Meaningful PE as an opportunity to frame primary PE in more inclusive ways that address the needs of a diverse student population. The pedagogical principles of Meaningful PE are based in democratic and reflective approaches, both of which embrace recent proposals for reimagining inclusion in physical education (Penney et al, 2018). For example, when children are included in decisions about their participation (democratic) and helped to make sense of their experiences (reflective) they are more likely to take ownership, invest and continue to participate (Ennis, 2017). The individualisation and personalisation of children’s physical education experiences emphasised in Meaningful PE provides a natural synergy with inclusion and diversity goals. This complementarity points to Meaningful PE as a potential overall frame for teaching primary physical education that is inclusive and equitably addresses the diversity of the student population. The Meaningful PE framework provides hope for reimagining primary school PE to be more inclusive and diverse because it has been found to be particularly accessible for generalist primary teachers who lacked specialist knowledge (Beni, Ní Chróinín and Fletcher, 2021).

In our proposed research, Champions of Inclusion and Diversity using Meaningful Physical Education (Acronym CHAMPINC-MPE), teacher educators will collaborate with ten primary generalist teachers to implement Meaningful PE that is
inclusive and accounts equitably for the diversity of the student population across contexts. The result will be that meaningful experiences for ALL children in PE are prioritised. We will gather evidence and share resources to support other teachers to implement Meaningful PE that is inclusive and accounts for diversity. Meaningful experiences will lay the foundation for all children to position physical activity as a valued part of the everyday lives