Still outsiders: The inclusion of disabled children and young people in physical education in England

Abstract

This study calls for the meaningful inclusion of disabled children within Physical Education (PE), by exploring the experiences of a triad of key stakeholders: (a) Disabled children and their families; (b) PE teachers; and (c) Initial Teacher Training (ITT) Providers. Semi-structured interviews were conducted between September 2017 and September 2019 with a total of 34 participants from across these three groups. Thematic analysis of the interviews revealed the following: (i) disabled children still face many barriers to participation in PE lessons in ‘mainstream’ schools in England; (ii) teaching professionals remain unprepared for including disabled children in PE; and, (iii) both parents and teaching professionals (teachers and ITT providers) cited recommendations to enhance the inclusion of disabled children in PE. It is concluded that disabled children are still outsiders to PE in mainstream schools in England and an intervention into PE teacher training is needed to promote strategies for inclusion. Points of interest Disabled children across the world have traditionally experienced exclusion from Physical Education lessons in mainstream schools. Disabled children still face many barriers to participation in Physical Education lessons in mainstream schools in England. Teaching professionals remain unprepared for including disabled children in Physical Education settings. Both parents and teaching professionals cited recommendations to enhance the inclusion of disabled children in Physical Education. The authors suggest that changes to the structure and content of the initial teacher training for Physical Education teachers is needed to promote strategies for the meaningful inclusion of disabled children.