“Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire, it has the power to unite people in a way that little else does.”
- Nelson Mandela
Physical Education provides the foundation for understanding movement, health, and performance whilst exploring how physical activity supports physical, mental, and social wellbeing. It enables learners to develop competence, confidence, and a lifelong appreciation of physical activity and sport, unlocking their potential to collaborate, compete, and lead with resilience, respect, and determination both within and beyond the classroom.
Through subject-specific training sessions, trainees will develop secure knowledge of key PE concepts such as skill acquisition, anatomy and physiology, health and fitness, and the principles of effective coaching and pedagogy. You will also explore how to inspire motivation and enjoyment in all pupils, promoting inclusion and engagement across a wide range of physical activities and sporting contexts.
You will train within a dedicated PE cohort throughout the year. This focused approach ensures that you develop the knowledge and skills necessary to teach across the full PE curriculum.
All secondary PE trainees receive specialist subject training within their placement schools, supported by a dedicated and highly experienced subject mentor. Explicit links are made across teaching phases from KS2 to KS5, ensuring the content goes beyond the KS3 and KS4 National Curriculum to promote a deep understanding of physical literacy, performance analysis, and learner progression across all key stages.
My name is Dr Julia Lawrence, and I have the pleasure and privilege of being your Subject Lead. I’m an experienced teacher of Physical Education having taught, lectured and published in the field of Physical Education for over 30 years. Throughout my career, I’ve taken on a variety of roles including Head of Department, Subject Lead and Mentor, as well as supporting beginning teachers to develop into inspiring teachers. I’m passionate about Physical Education and mentoring and supporting new teachers as they begin their journey into the profession. I firmly believe that Physical Education lies at the heart of the curriculum and that it is the foundation for health and well-being, that not only contributes to having an active lifestyle, but supports pupils in the classroom to focus and effectively engage in the learning process.
I’m delighted to be supporting you as you begin what promises to be a challenging, rewarding, and transformative career. Together, we’ll explore the richness of the secondary physical education curriculum, from considering how we can support pupils to become physically literate and motivated to engage in lifelong participation, to exploring how we can support pupils academically through the teaching of examination subjects. Our subject-focused sessions are designed to develop your confidence, deepen your subject knowledge, and strengthen your classroom practice. We will work closely together throughout the year as you grow into reflective, inspiring teachers of Physical Education.