17 Vol. 19 No. 2 2012 Active & Healthy Magazine Why Public Primary Schools need specialist PE teachers Christina Curry, School of Education, University of Western Sydney P hysical education (PE) in Australian public primary schools is often neglected despite the recommendations from the government and professional education associations. State governments have standards in place to ensure all children are provided the opportunity to participate in physical education classes, but these are rarely met due to the absence of a specialist PE teacher in many public primary schools. Specialist PE teachers have the knowledge and skills to ensure all children are exposed to a quality PE program and have positive and worthwhile experiences. Children need the value and habit of lifelong physical activity to be instilled in them from a young age. In some cases this is achieved through family, but more often it relies on the school to ensure physical activity is embedded in their lives. Students deserve meaningful PE classes that introduce a variety of movement experiences (e.g., sport, dance, fitness, aquatics and games) which set the foundation for lifelong physical activity. This is important from a health perspective and as a contributor to student learning. Mandatory hours are not being met In primary school settings, the PDHPE/HPE KLA, incorporating both the practical and the theory components of the HPE syllabus, is most commonly taught by the generalist classroom primary teacher, who has very little specific training in PE. Researchers have found that primary teachers often omit the mandatory PE hours from their week as a result of feeling pressured by other aspects of the curriculum. In fact, PE is mandated to make up 6-10% of curriculum time, but this time allocation is rarely met. Teachers have a huge responsibility to meet the curriculum requirements and this places an abundance of pressure upon them. The introduction of NAPLAN and the My School website has placed further pressure and accountability at both the classroom and the school level. This heavy emphasis placed on improving numeracy and literacy has meant that many other areas are not afforded the allocation they require and PE is often the first to be forgotten. Furthermore, pressure on teachers will continue to intensify in the future, as teachers strive to meet the needs of the new National curriculum which will involve months of familiarisation and reprogramming. Research has indicated a range of barriers that impact on the quality of PE and sporting programs within schools, including low levels of confidence from the teachers, poor facilities, inadequate resources and low levels of interest in PE in general (Morgan & Hansen, 2008). They also argue that many classroom teachers do not see themselves as good role models with regard to PE, as they are not physically skilled themselves: “Educators should have a passion for all that we teach. All it could take is a little research for teachers to feel a little confident in teaching PE. Who knows if it seems less overwhelming it may not be pushed aside so often” (UWS student, 2012). It is upsetting to think that some children will lack in knowledge and/ or experience regarding physical education because of time and financial constraints. Although teachers are under pressure, PE should not be overlooked because of the value it has on children’s physical, social and emotional wellbeing. If children experience positive and fun physical education lessons more frequently during their early years, there seem a greater likelihood that children may change their habits in the home i.e. from play stations to outdoor play. A specialist PE teacher would be able to ensure that the importance of PE is not overwhelmed by these other emphases.