In this episode of the PE Insights Podcast, I’m joined by Dr Emma Whewell, Associate Professor at the University of Northampton, for a rich and reflective conversation about identity, mentorship, and the evolving purpose of physical education.

Drawing on over twenty years in Initial Teacher Education, Emma explores how PE teachers’ identities are largely shaped long before training begins, through acculturation and what Lortie famously described as the “apprenticeship of observation”. We discuss why this makes identity so resistant to change, and the pivotal role mentors play in either nurturing confidence and autonomy, or unintentionally doing harm.

The conversation delves into the tensions mentors face between supporting innovation and complying with school systems, the importance of relational mentoring, and why trainees should be viewed as agents of change rather than problems to be managed. Emma also challenges the mismatch between what PE claims to do — preparing young people for lifelong physical activity — and what it often delivers in practice.

Looking ahead, Emma shares how she is embracing digital and AI-supported pedagogies within ITE, using technology to enhance reflection, efficiency, creativity and confidence. From AI-supported interview preparation to lesson planning and content creation, this episode explores a future-focused, possibility-led approach to teacher education.

Throughout the episode, I also share reflections linked to my own MA research on mentoring, professional identity and occupational socialisation, making this a particularly meaningful conversation for mentors, trainee teachers, teacher educators and PE leaders.

Emma’s central message is clear: be curious. Watch widely, borrow thoughtfully, build relationships first, and give yourself permission to become the teacher you want to be.

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In Episode 76 of The PE Insights Podcast, I’m joined by David Wallace, speaking to us from Bangkok, Thailand, where he currently teaches Junior Physical Education.

David’s journey into primary PE was anything but linear. Trained in the UK as a secondary PE teacher at the University of Cumbria, he taught briefly in Burnley before taking a leap into international education. That move, initially described as a shock, became career-defining. With the support of a mentor who “took me under his wing,” David discovered a deep passion for primary PE, later leading Junior School PE in Hong Kong before returning to Bangkok.

This conversation explores what it really means to put movement, inclusion and human experience at the heart of Physical Education.

We discuss how PE has evolved to foreground social, emotional and cognitive learning alongside physical development, while still protecting movement as the core of the subject. David shares his honest reflections on lesson balance, feedback habits, and how the messages we send as teachers shape what children believe truly matters.

A powerful moment in the episode centres on grouping and inclusivity. David reflects on witnessing a child left alone during partner selection and how that moment fundamentally changed his practice. From simple conversation-based grouping strategies to using digital tools like Team Shake, he explains why taking an extra minute to group intentionally is always worth it.

The episode also offers valuable insight into international teaching. David explains why UK QTS acts as a global passport, how international schools have raised standards, and the professional freedom that comes with adapting curriculum to diverse contexts. He shares practical advice on accreditation, career progression and life overseas.

We then dive into David’s Master’s research on online PE teacher communities, charting the shift away from Twitter/X towards Instagram and LinkedIn, and why maintaining external professional networks matters more than ever to avoid working in an echo chamber.

Finally, we tackle one of the most sensitive topics in PE: the relationship between PE and Games. David unpacks competition, ability grouping, student choice, and how carefully separating these spaces can allow both to serve young people well.

This is a thoughtful, honest and practice-rich conversation about belonging, balance and building meaningful experiences through Physical Education.

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In this episode, Senior Lecturer David Redfern (Birmingham City University) joins us to explore what truly shapes positive experiences in Physical Education. From a childhood immersed in PE culture to leading subject mentoring for hundreds of trainee teachers, David shares a career defined by passion, purpose, and connection.

We unpack the “trauma trend” in PE, why early experiences matter, and how teachers can consciously break cycles of fear, judgement, and fixed mindset. David dives into social constructivism, experiential learning, growth mindset, and the role of teachers as “actors” who model positivity and possibility for every learner.

Listeners will hear practical, classroom-ready strategies including:
• Breaking skills into manageable, achievable steps
• Modelling and peer-modelling approaches
• Visual scaffolding that supports EAL learners
• How to develop genuine physical literacy beyond FMS
• Ways to nurture confidence, curiosity, and movement beyond the gym

David also shares innovative ideas – like sending home PE activity bags to shift parental perceptions and deepen movement habits outside school.

We finish with quickfire insights: what PE must stop doing, what it must protect, and why David believes teachers should think less like coaches and more like facilitators of learning.

If you care about meaningful PE, physical literacy, mentoring, or transforming learners’ experiences, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.

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Welcome to the PE Insights Podcast!

Epsiode 73 is a conversation with Bilal Saddik. Bill is super passionate and a real advocate for holistic development. In the episode, we explore Bill's thinking, holistic development, play, coaching vs. teaching, expectations in new teachers and experienced teachers with relation to adaptive teaching, gender, and no 'one size fits all'. The episode covers lots of ground... as always, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

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In this episode of the PE Insights Podcast, Nathan speaks with Dr Josie Perry, chartered sport psychologist, author of six books and director of Performance in Mind. Josie’s work shines a light on identity, inclusivity and the realities of supporting neurodiverse children in movement and sport.

Josie shares why so many adults lose a sense of themselves as active people, often rooted in school experiences where PE centred narrowly on team games. She argues that broader, more varied activities can protect a young person’s identity as someone who can move, play and be physically active.

The conversation then explores the themes behind her book ADHD in Sport. Josie explains how ADHD traits show up in performance anxiety, emotional dysregulation and perfectionism, and highlights the growing need for understanding neurodiversity, something missing from her own training a decade ago. She unpacks why physical activity can be transformative for children with ADHD, while also acknowledging the limited research on overcoming sport-specific barriers.

Listeners will hear practical and highly relatable strategies for PE teachers. Josie explains how motivation differs across neurotypes, why autistic learners seek safety and predictability, why neurotypical children may respond to importance and consequence, and why ADHD learners crave novelty and challenge. She offers simple adaptations that help everyone: sending pre-session information, offering demonstrations, using peer buddies, varying levels of challenge and involving learners in setting up equipment.

The discussion also covers emotional regulation ideas, such as budgeting daily “energy coins”, and powerful approaches to self-talk. Josie explains why outcome-focused goals can undermine confidence, and why shifting learners towards inputs like effort, technique and small progressions supports lifelong participation. Her reflections on identity and belonging include a clear message: never let children pick teams. Instead, she returns to the true meaning of competition, rooted in the Latin idea of being “better together”.

To close, Josie poses a question for every teacher: What are the children in my class motivated by?

This episode is full of practical insight, compassion and clarity for anyone teaching neurodiverse young people, and is essential listening for PE teachers who want to create environments where every learner can thrive.

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In this episode of PE Insights, Nathan Walker is joined by Carla Howard, Head of PE and founder of the Heads of PE Network. Together, they explore how inclusive, holistic, and collaborative approaches are reshaping the PE curriculum.

Carla shares how her department is reframing PE as “for all”—focusing on physical, cognitive, social, and affective development rather than elite performance. She discusses how student voice drives curriculum design, the power of small-sided games for engagement, and why assessment should reflect non-linear progress.

The conversation also delves into Carla’s creation of a national Heads of PE Network that supports middle leaders and aspiring heads, and her reflections on the Curriculum and Assessment Review Final Report—from redefining PE’s purpose to renaming GCSE PE for the respect it deserves.

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Welcome back to the PE Insights Podcast. Thank you for your continued support.

Episode 71 is a conversation with James Tuthill of Charles Darwin Primary School in Norfolk.

We talk about how he is shifting the focus towards wellbeing in PE through using RISE Up in collaboration with Future Action and Neil Moggan.

This one comes from recordings from the back end of the last academic year. Lots for Primary PE teachers to think about in this one.

Hope you enjoy it!

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Welcome back to the PE Insights Podcast!

Season 3 is now LIVE!

Join me, as I have a conversation with the fantastic Professor Liz Durden-Myers. Lots of updates in this one, an insight into Liz's continued work on Physical Literacy, and the brilliant suitcase and train station analogy.

Hope you enjoy it!

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Hello everyone and welcome back to the PE Insights Podcast - Season 3!

Listen out of the call to action, and get ready for another year of amazing insights from inspiration people in the PE space.

So here it is, the final episode of the PE Insights Podcast for this academic year.

A conversation with Mike Lowery, Director of Sport at a large British international school in Dubai.

We discuss high performance, Mike's vision for PE and school sport, what makes effective teams, and of course, the quick fire questions.

Hope you enjoy the episode! More episodes will return in September 2025. Enjoy some time to rest and recover, but by all means plug in a podcast when you're by the pool, out on a walk, in the gym or the car. I'm always keen to hear your thoughts!

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