As a newly qualified teacher based in the Midlands of England, I have had the pleasure of teaching PE across every key stage of education. The mental gymnastics of going from planning a lesson on the musculoskeletal system, grounded in retrieval practice, cognitive load theory, and strands of Rosenshine’s Principles, to explicitly teaching the importance of sharing and the insignificance of the colour of a beanbag has been invaluable. Subjectively, teaching is the most rewarding vocation in the world for those who possess an innate desire to help others. Yet I enter the profession facing an education system burdened by a teacher recruitment and retention crisis, constrained budgets, and a curriculum that is increasingly out of sync with the needs of its pupils.

As I reflect on my experiences thus far, and cast around for a topic that captures the attention of a multicultural audience, I keep returning to the sphere of influence that policymakers and senior leaders have over the scope of impact that “non-core” subjects like PE can have on pupils, and yes, PE is not deemed a core subject in England. This is, perhaps not coincidentally, the topic I pursued during my dissertation, which examined the effect of neoliberalism has on stakeholder perception and delivery of PE in schools. There were limitations to acknowledge, most notably a small sample size and a narrow geographic boundary. Nevertheless, with boots on the ground for the past two years, the conclusions and recommendations remain steadfast.

Every school is different, unique, and represents a complex ecosystem. Neoliberalism, at its core, promotes market principles as the most efficient organiser of social life: competition, choice, deregulation, privatisation, and reduced state control. When applied to education, schools become quasi-market entities, parents become consumers, and student outcomes become measurable commodities. This is not abstract: more than 80% of secondary schools (ages 11-18) in England are now academies (Department for Education, 2024). While these schools remain publicly funded, governance and operational control pass to private trusts, some of which are run by companies or religious organisations. This may seem insignificant in isolation, but when you factor in the dominance of Multi-Academy Trusts, budgets are squeezed to breaking point and headteachers are forced to operate as business managers, pushing the prerequisite resources of high-quality education aside simply to stay afloat. Academisation, compounded by systemic mechanisms such as league tables, Ofsted inspections (England’s national school inspection body), Progress 8 scores, and the English Baccalaureate (a government-defined suite of academic subjects used to measure school performance), cultivate a narrowed curriculum where creative subjects are marginalised due to these mechanisms heavily favouring subjects deemed more academic. Thus, when you combine these mechanisms with greater autonomy for academies to deliver the curriculum, the education system risks becoming an academic cul-de-sac, and teachers become technicians of data rather than agents of transformation.

This neoliberal environment inevitably creates a workforce that feels as though they are constantly paddling upstream. This contemporary landscape is particularly pertinent as my partner, a qualified primary educator, has handed in her notice because the thought of the classroom now terrifies her. Yet the classroom is where she thrives. She is a vibrant, organised and highly effective teacher, capable of capturing and nurturing curious minds, but the politics and battle for basic necessities have extinguished her spark after just two years in the role. I cannot help but empathise with her, and I hope she finds her way back into the classroom in her own time and in an environment that empowers her to do what she does best.

In primary PE (ages 4-11), academisation is less prominent, but neoliberalism remains the root cause of its problems. The removal of ring-fenced PE funding and the squeeze on school budgets has left many primary schools without the resources to employ specialist staff or invest in CPD for generalist teachers who lack the knowledge, and therefore the confidence, to deliver the subject effectively. The PE and Sport Premium, introduced in 2013, was framed as a solution but is arguably part of the problem. Inadvertently, by channelling ring-fenced funding directly to schools without mandating investment in teacher development, the government created a private coaching market. As a result, primary PE in England is often delivered by coaches rather than teachers, and enrichment activity rather than a sequenced, progressive curriculum. This is not a criticism of coaches themselves, many of whom are talented practitioners, but sports coaching and physical education should not be synonymous. I have found this irony difficult to ignore. Outsourcing was the government’s response to weak primary PE, yet it has deepened the profession’s dependency on outsourcing and accelerated the deskilling of generalist teachers. Personally, I love teaching primary PE, but the system currently pushes PE specialists into the secondary education phase (ages 11-18) as there are no incentives for schools to stretch into their already overstretched budgets to hire a full-time PE teacher. Now, whether you agree that PE specialists should be in primary or secondary schools is enough content for a stand-alone blog (how about both?).

To conclude, PE has an unparalleled scope to improve the physical, mental and social wellbeing of our young people, yet it remains perpetually undervalued, underfunded and under threat. I am an advocate for my subject and for a broad and balanced curriculum, but I, along with educators across England, feel as though I am fighting against an invisible current. The mechanisms of neoliberalism did not create this problem overnight, and they will not be dismantled quickly, but awareness and, not coincidentally, education is where change begins. If this blog prompts one policymaker, one headteacher, or one fellow teacher to take a step back and ask themselves: do you measure what you treasure, or are you ticking the boxes and playing the game?

Reference

Department for Education (2024) Schools, pupils and their characteristics. Available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics

This microblog post was a featured post in #slowchathealth’s #microblogmonth event. You can search for all of the featured posts here. Please do follow each of the outstanding contributors on social media (including Isaac Birch Mac-Hin, the author of this post) and consider writing a microblog post of your own to be shared with the global audience of slowchathealth.com

Pair this blog post with the following:

I Didn’t Need to “Remember My Why” I Needed Therapy by Casey Langendorfer

Learning IS the Joy by Drew Miller

This is Tau by Tom Hobbs

Teaching is NOT a Problem to Be Solved by Dr. Kristi Mally