-
Essay / Education: Physical Education - 1451
In educational discourse, inclusion is a highly debated subject throughout the school curriculum. Over the past decade, exceptional levels of funding and resources have been devoted solely to PE and school sport in the UK. The DFE suggests that 57% of children with SEND attend a mainstream school (DfES 2007). Physical education (PE) is a growing topic of discussion due to declining activity and increasing levels of childhood obesity in the UK (Coates and Vickerman 2009). There are various strategies implemented such as Links between Schools, Sports and Physical Education Clubs (PESSCL) and the Physical Education and Sports Strategy for Youth (PESSYP), which are instruments intended to “ direct and guide practices and policies” (Fitzgerald and Stride, 2012). Using these government strategies, schools attempt to challenge and increase participation and engagement with the aim of providing “high quality physical education lessons” (Griffin 2012), which targets the government initiative particularly the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games to encourage inclusive promotion. PE and school sport (Green 2009). Furthermore, Fitzgerald and Stride (2012) believe that the final issue of inclusion should be reconsidered as part of a broader international concern to promote inclusive education (Forlin et al. 2008). There are various aspects that are hotly debated within inclusion regarding the national curriculum, initial teacher education and the experiences of students and teachers. In the UK, physical education has progressed from developments also linked to continuing professional development (CPD) around inclusion. . Fitzgerald and Stride (2012) highlight that there are a range of development methods......workplace......lifelong learning (Whitehead, 2010). With “changes to SEND curriculum policy and practice” (Bailey 2005), the government has increased policy awareness and awareness of children's physical education across the UK National Curriculum. Surveys by various authors (Sport England 2001; Vickerman and Coates 2008) suggest that pupils with SEND participate in a smaller margin of physical activities within PE. He also highlighted that students with SEN do not participate in any sport as part of extra-curricular activities (Vickerman et al. 2003). Further research on this topic has shown that students benefit socially, physically, and mentally from participating in physical activity (Vickerman 2012; Vickerman et al. 2003; Kristen et al. 2002), which promotes “all-round learning.” throughout life” and participation in physical activities. activities (Whitehead 2010).