Exploring curriculum possibilities in PE through cross-border conversations
(AIESEP March Connect 2026)
Introduction
This blog was written following our AIESEP Connect presentation in March 2026 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Q1IuYHeAfI&t=2982s). The aim here is to introduce some of the work carried out by the UKPE Collaborative, as discussed in the presentation, which explores how PE is conceptualised, enacted and discussed across different national contexts. In doing so, it highlights the value of cross-border dialogue in opening up possibilities for thinking about the purposes and future of PE across the UK and beyond.
The UKPE Collaborative
The UKPE Collaborative is a group of researchers from across the four countries of the UK. Together we comprise: Shirley Gray, Nicola Carse (Edinburgh University) and Stephanie Hardley (Strathclyde University) who work in the Scottish context; Anna Bryant and Lowri Edwards (Cardiff Metropolitan University) who work in the Welsh context; and Julie Stirrup, Oliver Hooper and Rachel Sandford (Loughborough University) who work in the English context. Julie also makes up the Northern Irish element of the group, this is where she is from and went through the education system, so she is familiar with the context. As a group we have been working together for seven years and have a shared interest in PE and the transformative potential of the subject. We also have some other colleagues who we work/have worked closely with – David Aldous who was at Cardiff Metropolitan University but is now at Edith Cowan University in Australia; Paul McFlynn who works at Ulster University and Vince Coleman who is a Doctoral Researcher at Edinburgh University (Shirley and Oliver are both on his supervisory team). As a group, we are interested in learning from, and working collaboratively with, teachers and initial teacher education practitioners to explore the possibilities of curriculum and facilitate cross border discussions around what PE is and what it could be.
UKPE research to date
We began working together in 2019, when we carried out a series of cross-border curriculum analyses examining how PE and Health and Wellbeing are framed in each national context within the UK. We then conducted interviews with PE teachers across the UK to understand their curriculum perspectives and practices, before facilitating interactive workshops to support teachers in sharing curriculum and pedagogy knowledge and experiences. Our current work has moved into the context of ITE, where we have interviewed PE teacher educators about how they understand and enact PE curriculum in this context, what this means for PE and what might be learned by this cross-border conversation. At the same time, and extending our work beyond the UK, we have also planned and delivered a seminar series (funded by the European Educational Research Association) focused on PE curricula across European borders. Our website, blogs and infographics provide further insights from this growing body of research.
Some key findings
Our research has revealed important insights into how PE is understood and enacted across the UK, as well as highlighted the value of cross-border conversations. In this final part of our blog, we bring together key messages from the three phases of the project: our curriculum analysis, the interactive teacher workshops and interviews with teacher educators.
Our curriculum analysis – where we examined and compared the messages conveyed across each national curriculum – highlighted both similarities and differences in how health is conceptualised within PE. Across all four nations, we found references to a public health discourse, positioning PE as a response to concerns such as low physical activity levels and sedentary lifestyles – although the strength of this message varies across contexts. In England, public health is the dominant narrative, but this is less so in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, where health is framed more holistically – as ‘health and wellbeing’, encompassing social, emotional and mental health. Our analysis also revealed that, with the exception of Wales, performance remains a strong curriculum discourse for PE across the UK. This offers useful comparative insights, encouraging us to consider what PE might look like if it moved beyond performance discourses focused on sport, skills and competition.
From our cross-border workshops with teachers, we found that with time and space for meaningful dialogue, participants began to question traditional assumptions. The critical discussions they had around ideas such as PE’s role to develop excellence in sport, or to improve heath, highlighted the potential for perspectives to shift when teachers meet with alternative curriculum experiences. Additionally these conversations reinforced the idea that while curriculum generally shapes practitioner thinking, professional dialogue can open up new possibilities.
Finally, our recent work with teacher educators across all four nations is beginning to reveal an interesting picture of how they understand and enact PE curriculum in different ways. In this blog, we draw only on initial insights from Scotland. Early findings suggest that teacher educators here view the PE curriculum as a flexible framework, one that serves as a foundation for critical reflection and innovation. At the same time, they recognise tensions between university ideals and the practical realities of schools. As we continue to analyse data from across the UK, we hope to develop a richer understanding of how PE is conceptualised in ITE and explore what might emerge when these ideas come together.
Conclusion
In bringing together perspectives from across the four nations, our work highlights the similarities, differences and opportunities for PE curriculum – across the UK and beyond. We hope these insights encourage further dialogue between researchers, teachers and teacher educators about what PE is, what it could become, and how collaborative, cross-border conversations can support meaningful and inclusive developments for PE – and PE curricula – in the future.
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