Purpose: The aim of this literature review is to summarise and synthesise the research base concerning childhood obesity and physical activity, particularly in relation to teachers and schools and within a policy context of the UK. The review investigates childhood obesity, physical activity, physical education, the role of teachers, the role of…

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is now a cornerstone of education policy in the UK and elsewhere. If policy aspirations translate successfully into practice, then (funded) CPD opportunities will abound and teachers will be 'developed' in a logical and structured way from the moment they enter the profession until retirement. As a result…

This article discusses the social fabrication of risk and ill health in the United Kingdom and how it affect the physical education curriculum and physical education teachers. It is now well over 60 years since the publication in Britain of the Board of Education?s (1933) "Syllabus For Physical Training For Schools." It was a remarkable…

In this paper we discuss a case study investigating how the academic and personal development of first year students on an undergraduate sports education degree can be supported and enhanced with mobile SMS (Short Message Service) communication. SMS-based technologies were introduced in response to students' particular needs (in transition to…

This article comments on recommendations for physical education in the British National Curriculum as they pertain to children with special educational needs. It considers arguments for physical education; motor development of the child; principles of physical education for this population (entitlement, access, integration, integrity); teaching…

This paper draws on a series of interviews conducted in 2002 with practising Australian coaches working with an Australian variant of TGfU, Game Sense. It examines their experiences of Game Sense in a range of sports played from introductory, grassroots levels to sport played at the most elite levels. The views of the coaches in the study lend…

The elements of global education should be at the heart of all learning and teaching. In ITE we often protect "our subject" in the belief that it should have more prominence in the curriculum and more teaching time in school. In this article a group of ITE tutors comment on their learning about global education and its inclusion in their…

This second edition of "Learning in the Early Years 3-7" has been written to help early years practitioners understand and implement the U.K.'s new curriculum guidance document "The Foundation Stage". The author explains how to meet the requirements of the new Foundation Stage document and how these relate to the U.K.'s…

The last decade has seen significant interest in research associated with outdoor education and outdoor learning in the UK. However, there has been little research into the perspectives of those staff, particularly women, who make available outdoor experiences to various groups in different situations and locations. The importance of understanding…

This book is aimed primarily at under and postgraduate students pursuing entire programmes or discrete courses and modules in the broad area of physical education and sport in schools. It consists of a collection of what is considered to be essential readings in the sense that they are contributions from eminent authors on a breadth of salient…

Reports on a study that examined determinants of intrinsic motivation in a British physical education teacher education course. Finds that both perceived autonomy and competence had effects on intrinsic motivation. Discusses the importance of creating perceptions of autonomy among student teachers. (CFR)

In light of the demands of the revised National Curriculum for Physical Education in England (DfEE/QCA, 1999) and the Special Educational Needs and Disability Discrimination Act (DfES, 2001a), this paper presents some preliminary observations on how PE teachers endeavour to include pupils with special educational needs (SEN) in secondary school…

This paper brings a speculative, sociological perspective to the nature of "ability" in physical education (PE) and asks why this aspect of embodiment, with notable exceptions, has received so little critical attention in the professional discourse of PE and associated research in recent years. It is suggested that thinking about…

Using data from a study of the National Curriculum Physical Education for state schools in England and Wales, the paper examines how the political right has attempted to regulate and control the remaking of the National Curriculum and embed the principles of cultural restoration in the physical education curriculum. (SM)

Government Ministers, health care professionals and sporting organisations throughout the UK are presently engaged in the promotion of extending the length of time each school child spends participating in quality physical education. Agendas may differ from a crackdown on obesity and sedentary lifestyles to basking in reflected glory of British…