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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Welcome back to the PE Insights Podcast.

Today's episode welcomes the return of Will Grove to the podcast. We had a conversation previously about their thoughts on PE curriculum, and in this chat, I catch up with Will to see how these developments are taking shape. Lots of ground covered in this episode, and hopefully, it will be thought-provoking for anyone who is engaged in designing, amending, leading PE curriculum in other settings.

As always, I would love to hear your thoughts on this.

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Welcome back to the PE Insights Podcast!

Episode 67 is a conversation with the excellent, Lee Sullivan.

Many of our listeners in the PE space will know of the work Lee has contributed, but if you don't here is a great opportunity to find out more.

We reflect on Lee's first book 'Is PE in Crisis?', we discuss his current thoughts on Concept Curriculum in PE. Then we are introduced to his two latest publications: 'The Movement Monster', and 'From PE Dread to Delight'.

You can find these publications here: https://www.pescholar.com/product-category/books/

Hope you enjoy the episode, and as always, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

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