Improving inclusive PE in schools

I was very pleased to read what the Minister for Disabled People, Justin Tomlinson MP, said earlier this month. There is an appetite to help PE teachers develop their confidence and skillsets in order to better deliver accessible physical education.

Mr Tomlinson was speaking in Parliament on the subject of supporting disabled people into work through sport. The Minister also acknowledged the important role physical activity and sport can play in developing fitness, self-confidence and independence.

In Westminster, Mr Tomlinson devoted some of his answer to the theme of educating PE teachers to best cater for the needs of disabled pupils. He said:

“We want to ensure that… right across the board, accessible sporting opportunities are a given. Part of that is ensuring that the topic is part of the education of the next generation of PE teachers.

“I know how important educating PE teachers on the subject is because, randomly, I was selected to open a PE conference on behalf of the Government… One thing that came back to me was the number of PE teachers who wanted to offer more accessible sporting opportunities but feared that perhaps they would get it wrong… that there would be an accident or that things would not go right.

“As a given, the next generation will have that confidence. I give credit to the English Federation of Disability Sport [EFDS] and to Sainsbury’s for their successful course to upskill existing PE teachers to ensure that existing PE staff have that confidence.

“I pay tribute to the PE teachers I met, and there were hundreds. There is a genuine appetite to do this.”

The English Federation of Disability Sport (EFDS) exists to make active lives possible and has a vision that disabled people are active for life. As a national charity, EFDS partnered with Sainsbury’s, the Home Country Disability Sport Organisations, Paralympics GB and Youth Sport Trust to deliver Sainsbury’s Active Kids for All Inclusive PE Training, a Paralympic legacy programme.

Launched after the Paralympic Games in 2012, the Sainsbury’s Active Kids for All Inclusive PE Training is designed to improve the quality of PE provision for young disabled people in mainstream schools across the UK.

To date, the programme has provided free training and resources to over 7,500 teachers, trainee teachers and school staff throughout the UK.

The training supports participants to improve knowledge, skills and confidence in including challenging and progressing all pupils in curriculum PE.

EFDS has gathered together the positive testimonials from some of those who have participated in the training.

For example, Tom, from Heath Park School in Wolverhampton, told us:

“The course allowed us the opportunity to evaluate our current PE offer and then provided us with the confidence and knowledge needed to ensure that PE experiences are high quality for all of our learners.”

Barry Horne, Chief Executive for EFDS, added:

“EFDS believes a positive experience in PE and school sport plays a critical role in shaping life-long participation and access to sporting pathways for all young people. While there is undoubtedly some outstanding practice of inclusive provision in physical education and school sport, we still need to see high quality provision available for all.”

Alongside our delivery partners, we at EFDS are working hard to support both trainee teachers and established teaching networks to embed inclusive practices within their curriculum delivery.

We believe that with the right investment in inclusive training we all have the chance to see and enjoy a lasting legacy on the provision of PE and school sport for young disabled people.

For more information regarding Sainsbury’s Active Kids for All Inclusive PE Training visit the EFDS website.

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