Abstract
One consequence of the 1981 Education
Act (DES, 1981) was that there began a
transference of pupils from special
educational schools to mainstream schools
over the coming years. Thus, for the first
time in many cases, mainstream schools
were expected, through policy
developments, to provide an inclusive
education culture for pupils with SEN
(Special Educational Needs). The aim of
this paper is to analyse some of the
consequences, intended or otherwise, of
including pupils with SEN in mainstream
school National Curriculum Physical
Education (NCPE) lessons and extracurricular
physical activity. In this regard, it
is argued that team games and
competitive sports are activities which
teachers find particularly difficult to plan
for and deliver in an inclusive way,
whereas more individual activities such as
dance, gymnastics, tennis, badminton and
athletics are identified as activities that
may be easier to plan and deliver
inclusively. The paper is punctuated with
potential field research ideas; that is,
possible investigations prompted by this
critique of literature. These ideas typically
involve suggestions for primary data
gathering in the school setting with either
pupils or staff, exploring issues for
engagement (and non-engagement) with
PE and physical activity. The paper
concludes that an over emphasis upon
competitive team sports and performance
in PE may be eroding the quality of
learning experience for all pupils, not least
those with SEN.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 35-48 |
Journal | Journal of Qualitative Research in Sports Studies |
Volume | 6 |
Issue number | 1 |
Early online date | 1 Nov 2012 |
Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 1 Nov 2012 |