PE Insights Podcast

When we ask girls about their experiences of PE, how much are we prepared to change in response?

In this episode, Nathan Walker is joined by Louise Lindon, Head of PE and Sport and PE Scholar Associate, to explore how listening to pupils can inform decisions about their learning and participation.

Lou shares her experiences of leading a department, navigating change and addressing barriers to girls’ participation. We also discuss her reflections on being a female Head of PE, the value of professional networks, and finding the confidence to back yourself while remaining open to new ideas.

A conversation for PE teachers and leaders thinking about their next step, whether that means taking on a new role or reconsidering something in tomorrow’s lesson.

PE Insights is brought to you by PE Scholar.

Want to take your learning further? Unlock exclusive PE resources, research and CPD courses with PE Scholar Membership—your one-stop hub for professional growth and impact. Use code POD10 at checkout or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://psch.la/POD10⁠⁠⁠⁠ for 10% off today!

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How can we help girls build a relationship with movement that lasts beyond school?

In this episode of the PE Insights Podcast, I’m joined by Asha Riley, Head of Active Wellbeing at St Swithun’s Prep School, lecturer and tutor at the University of Buckingham, and creator of MOVE60.

Asha shares how she’s working to build an active school culture where girls feel seen, supported and confident to participate. We explore the everyday choices that shape that culture: the opportunities we offer, the voices we listen to, and whose achievements we celebrate.

Our conversation covers:

• Listening to girls and using the Girls Active survey to inform change.
• Creating different routes into activity, from lunchtime clubs to strength and conditioning.
• Talking openly about periods, sports bras and barriers to participation.
• Helping pupils develop confidence, physical literacy and the ability to adapt as life changes.
• Balancing inclusion with appropriate challenge and positive experiences of exertion.

We also reflect on Asha’s international teaching experience and what colleagues in different school settings might take from her approach.

Throughout, we return to a shared ambition: helping girls leave school with the skills, confidence and positive experiences to keep finding their own ways to be active.

PE Insights is brought to you by PE Scholar.

Want to take your learning further? Unlock exclusive PE resources, research and CPD courses with PE Scholar Membership—your one-stop hub for professional growth and impact. Use code POD10 at checkout or visit ⁠⁠⁠https://psch.la/POD10⁠⁠⁠ for 10% off today!

We are excited to share our partnership with ⁠⁠⁠Sports Directory⁠⁠⁠. Through its “⁠⁠⁠My School Rewards⁠⁠⁠” scheme, your school will receive 10% back on every order, helping you make your departmental budget go further.

Season four begins with Ben Mayes, Head of Physical Education at Bodmin College, for a thoughtful and practical conversation about creating PE experiences that support the whole child.

Ben shares how the Know, Show & GROW framework shapes his curriculum thinking, lesson design and leadership. We explore how pupils can develop knowledge and movement competence while also learning to demonstrate resilience, empathy, persistence, independence and other qualities that extend beyond PE.

Ben challenges us to consider whether we genuinely teach and assess personal development - or whether we sometimes offer little more than definitions and brief conversations.

In this episode, we discuss:

• What Know, Show & GROW looks like within a PE lesson
• Why the GROW objective should be explicitly taught, modelled and celebrated
• Normalising struggle, failure and difficulty within learning
• Creating active arrivals and making purposeful use of changing time
• Using retrieval, questioning and conditioned games to reinforce learning
• Developing pupil autonomy, agency and ownership
• Using models-based practice, including Sport Education, Cooperative Learning and Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility
• The relationship between Know, Show & GROW and Move, Think, Feel and Connect
• Leading curriculum change and developing a shared departmental language
• What the future national curriculum might prioritise within PE

Ben also poses an important challenge:

Where does GROW rank within your PE lessons - and could your pupils explain how they have grown after the lesson has finished?

This episode offers plenty of practical ideas for PE teachers, trainees and subject leaders who want their curriculum to remain physically active while becoming more holistic, meaningful and genuinely focused on learning.

Connect with Ben on LinkedIn to follow his work and explore the resources he shares with the PE community.

PE Insights is brought to you by PE Scholar.

Want to take your learning further? Unlock exclusive PE resources, research and CPD courses with PE Scholar Membership—your one-stop hub for professional growth and impact. Use code POD10 at checkout or visit ⁠⁠https://psch.la/POD10⁠⁠ for 10% off today!

We are excited to share our partnership with ⁠⁠Sports Directory⁠⁠. Through its “⁠⁠My School Rewards⁠⁠” scheme, your school will receive 10% back on every order, helping you make your departmental budget go further.

In this episode of the PE Insights Podcast, Nathan speaks with Matt about how Physical Education can develop much more than pupils’ physical competence.

The conversation begins with Split Screen teaching, an approach influenced by the work of Guy Claxton. Building on the podcast’s previous discussion with Dr Will Patz about making curriculum values explicit, Matt explains how teachers can deliberately foreground qualities such as courage, collaboration and independence alongside physical learning. He also shares how pupils can help to co-construct success criteria, making these wider learning behaviours visible, meaningful and easier to recognise within lessons.

Nathan and Matt then explore Fundamental Movement Skills and the important role they play in supporting children’s development. Matt outlines how his school uses KIDDO to screen pupils from Early Years 3 to Grade 5, alongside beginning-of-unit assessments and Guttman analysis in selected areas of the curriculum. Rather than viewing assessment as an endpoint, the discussion considers how it can help teachers understand pupils’ starting points and make better-informed decisions about curriculum planning and teaching.

The episode also examines learner variability: recognising that pupils arrive in PE with different experiences, strengths, needs and levels of confidence. Matt shares how assessment information can be used to plan more responsive learning experiences while maintaining high expectations for every pupil.

Throughout the conversation, Nathan and Matt consider how PE teachers can make both physical learning and personal development more intentional, visible and accessible.

Topics covered include:

• What Split Screen teaching means in Physical Education

• Making curriculum values and learning behaviours explicit

• Co-constructing success criteria with pupils

• Assessing Fundamental Movement Skills

• Using KIDDO as a universal movement screener

• How Guttman analysis can inform curriculum planning

• Planning and teaching for learner variability

• Using assessment to support responsive and inclusive practice

An insightful episode for PE teachers, curriculum leaders and anyone interested in using assessment purposefully to better understand and support every learner.

Want to take your learning further? Unlock exclusive PE resources, research and CPD courses with PE Scholar Membership—your one-stop hub for professional growth and impact. Use code POD10 at checkout or visit ⁠https://psch.la/POD10⁠ for 10% off today!

We are excited to share our partnership with ⁠Sports Directory⁠. Through its “⁠My School Rewards⁠” scheme, your school will receive 10% back on every order, helping you make your departmental budget go further.

What happens when we stop talking about student voice and genuinely hand students the microphone?

In this special episode of the PE Insights Podcast, Nathan hands hosting duties to aspiring PE teacher Zara. She is joined by Grace, Amber and Rosa, who are entering Year 10; Jack, who is beginning sixth form; Jas, who is studying psychology at university; and Ellie, who is at college.

Using the idea of a “note to my PE teacher”, the panel reflect honestly on the experiences that shaped their relationship with PE, sport and physical activity.

Together, they explore:

• The confidence created through leadership, responsibility and being trusted

• The importance of activity choices, friendship groups and meaningful student voice

• How uncomfortable or restrictive PE kit can become a barrier to participation

• Why patience, positivity and clear lesson purposes matter

• The need to notice and support every student—not only the most confident or sporty

• How PE can help young people develop a lasting relationship with movement beyond school

Their messages are thoughtful, practical and, at times, powerfully direct:

“Dear PE teacher, let us make mistakes without feeling embarrassed.”

“Dear PE teacher, help us discover something we never knew we could do.”

“Dear PE teacher, please don’t just notice the sporty children.”

An essential listen for PE teachers, leaders and anyone involved in shaping young people’s experiences of physical education.

Want to take your learning further? Unlock exclusive PE resources, research and CPD courses with PE Scholar Membership—your one-stop hub for professional growth and impact. Use code POD10 at checkout or visit https://psch.la/POD10 for 10% off today!

We are excited to share our partnership with Sports Directory. Through its “My School Rewards” scheme, your school will receive 10% back on every order, helping you make your departmental budget go further.

In Episode 86 of the PE Insights Podcast, Nathan Walker is joined by co-host Will Swaithes for the next episode in the examination Physical Education series.

This week, they speak with Kate Thompson and Mark Johnson, Physical Education and Sport Subject Advisors at Cambridge OCR, for a deep dive into the Cambridge National qualifications in Sport Studies and Sport Science.

Across the episode, Kate and Mark offer clear, practical and reassuring guidance for PE departments delivering, reviewing, or considering these qualifications. The conversation explores the key differences between Sport Studies and Sport Science, how centres can choose the right pathway for their learners, and the importance of understanding the specification, assessment structure and moderation process.

The discussion also considers the realities of workload, internal assessment, the terminal exam rule, changing NEA assignments, and how teachers can make best use of the support, resources and guidance available through Cambridge OCR.

Nathan, Will, Kate and Mark also reflect on the future of examination PE, including the role of practical assessment, the need to better promote careers in sport, health and exercise, and how qualifications can connect more meaningfully to real-world pathways in the sports industry.

This episode is particularly useful for PE teachers, Heads of Department, curriculum leaders and anyone involved in planning or delivering Level 1/2 sport qualifications.

Find out more about Cambridge National in Sport Studies and Sport Science here:https://hubs.li/Q04lxwbs0

You can also follow Cambridge OCR through their social media channels:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CambridgeOCRFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/cambridgeocrLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cambridgeocr/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cambridgeocr

Want to take your learning further? Unlock exclusive PE resources, research, and CPD courses with PE Scholar Membership — your one-stop hub for professional growth and impact. Use code POD10 at checkout or visit ⁠https://psch.la/POD10⁠ for 10% off today!

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In this episode of the PE Insights Podcast, I am joined by Ian Shrubsole for a thoughtful, practical and deeply reflective conversation about Physical Education, movement, games, and the fundamentals that really matter.

Drawing on over 30 years of experience teaching PE, Ian reflects on his journey from a more traditional “fundamentals first” approach towards a more playful, game-based and problem-solving view of learning. Together, we explore the difference between technique and skill, why children do not always need to “master” isolated techniques before they play, and how carefully designed games can help young people discover movement solutions that work for them.

A central thread of the episode is Ian’s powerful distinction between visible and invisible fundamentals. While speed, jumping, throwing, catching and technical execution are often easier to see and assess, Ian invites us to think more carefully about the less visible qualities that may matter even more: resilience, communication, confidence, curiosity, emotional regulation, collaboration and the ability to cope when things do not go to plan.

We also discuss the importance of knowing the children in front of you, creating playful but purposeful learning environments, stepping back to observe, adapting activities in the moment, and protecting young people’s enthusiasm for movement.

This is a brilliant episode for PE teachers, trainee teachers, primary practitioners, coaches, mentors and anyone interested in what Physical Education could and should offer young people beyond sport alone.

Key themes include:

Game-based learning in PE
Visible and invisible fundamentals
Movement solutions and problem-solving
Technique versus skill
Intentional play and purposeful games
Assessment in Physical Education
Primary PE and long-term participation
Creating positive, inclusive movement experiences

If you are interested in curriculum, pedagogy, games, movement, meaningful PE and the future direction of the subject, this episode offers plenty to reflect on.

Want to take your learning further? Unlock exclusive PE resources, research, and CPD courses with PE Scholar Membership — your one-stop hub for professional growth and impact. Use code POD10 at checkout or visit https://psch.la/POD10 for 10% off today!

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Something a little different this time round.

In this reflective solo episode of the PE Insights Podcast, Nathan Walker pauses to consider a deceptively simple question:

“If you had to give one piece of advice to a trainee PE teacher, what would it be?”

Rather than offering a list of quick tips around planning, behaviour management, assessment, pedagogy or curriculum design, Nathan places his flag firmly in the ground around one central idea: the importance of creating a purposeful, inclusive and meaningful motivational climate in Physical Education.

This episode explores why the climate of a PE lesson is not the “soft stuff” around the edges of teaching, but the very condition that allows young people to participate, belong, take risks, develop confidence and experience movement in ways that matter.

Nathan reflects on the questions PE teachers and trainee teachers might ask themselves when shaping a movement space:

Do all pupils feel welcome?
Do they feel that they belong?
Are we aware of their needs, motivations and aspirations?
Are we creating opportunities for voice, autonomy and agency?
Are we using feedback and conversation intentionally, rather than relying on throwaway praise?
Are we helping young people connect movement to meaning, value, identity and human development?

The episode also considers the unique vulnerability of Physical Education as a subject, where young people are asked to move, perform, fail, compete, cooperate, be seen and use their bodies in front of others. For this reason, Nathan argues that the motivational climate we create is central to whether pupils feel safe enough, confident enough and motivated enough to engage meaningfully.

At its heart, this is an episode about the kind of spaces we create in PE.

Not simply activity spaces.
Not performance-sorting spaces.
Not behaviour-management spaces.

But genuine movement spaces where young people can move, think, feel and connect.

A thought-provoking listen for trainee PE teachers, PE mentors, teacher educators, school-based colleagues and anyone interested in meaningful Physical Education, inclusive practice, pupil motivation and the future of PE.

Get the motivational climate of the movement space right, and you’ll be grand.

Want to take your learning further? Unlock exclusive PE resources, research, and CPD courses with PE Scholar Membership — your one-stop hub for professional growth and impact. Use code POD10 at checkout or visit https://psch.la/POD10 for 10% off today!

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In this episode of the PE Insights Podcast, Nathan visits St George’s Park, the home of English football, for a conversation with Chris Welburn and Chris Brammall from The Football Association.

Both Chris’ are National Development Managers with significant experience across football development and Physical Education.

Together, we explore The FA’s FutureFit direction, the introduction of the 3v3 format, and what these changes could mean for young people, coaches, teachers, schools and the wider game.

The conversation considers why smaller formats matter, how 3v3 can provide more touches, more decisions, more involvement and more opportunities for children to enjoy the game, and how schools might use these ideas to create more inclusive, engaging and developmentally appropriate football experiences.

We also discuss the relationship between grassroots football and Physical Education, asking how PE teachers can respond to these changes and what this direction might mean for curriculum design, participation, confidence, competence and lifelong engagement in football.

Whether you are a PE teacher, coach, trainee teacher, football development officer or someone passionate about children’s experiences in sport, this episode offers a valuable insight into the future direction of youth football in England.

Useful resource:You can access The FA’s Know Your Format resource here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/12q_lnd1BFgLDnAOZl0mPbrQ3VgbjESSh/view?usp=drivesdk

Want to take your learning further? Unlock exclusive PE resources, research, and CPD courses with PE Scholar Membership — your one-stop hub for professional growth and impact. Use code POD10 at checkout or visit https://psch.la/POD10 for 10% off today!

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Welcome back to the PE Insights Podcast.

In Episode 81, I’m joined by Jack Harvey. A passionate and well-read voice in Physical Education who is not afraid to challenge the direction of our subject.

This is not a safe conversation.

Jack offers a perspective that will resonate with many. It may also frustrate others. That is exactly why it matters.

We explore a fundamental question:
What is Physical Education actually becoming?

Across the profession, practice is increasingly shaped by performance, visibility, and curated moments. But what sits beneath that?

In this episode, we unpack:

• The growing gap between what we say PE is and what we actually deliver
• The influence of social media and performative practice
• Whether engagement is being prioritised at the expense of learning
• The identity crisis within Physical Education
• What we risk losing if we continue down the current path

Jack speaks with clarity and conviction. His views are grounded in reading, reflection, and experience. You may agree. You may strongly disagree.

Either way, this episode will make you think.

As always, we would love to hear your perspective. Join the conversation and share your thoughts.

Sit back, keep an open mind, and let’s get into it.

Want to take your learning further? Unlock exclusive PE resources, research, and CPD courses with PE Scholar Membership — your one-stop hub for professional growth and impact. Use code POD10 at checkout or visit https://psch.la/POD10 for 10% off today!

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