Equal Play: new recommendations call for inclusive PE in every school

Every child should be able to join in with PE and school sport, but for lots of disabled children that’s still not the case. ParalympicsGB has launched new recommendations for the government to help change that, and we wanted to share them with our schools and education partners across Yorkshire.

The recommendations are part of ParalympicsGB’s Equal Play campaign, and they’ve landed at a timely moment, with the Government expected to start consulting on the national curriculum before the end of the year. They were developed with the Association for Physical Education, Activity Alliance and the Lawn Tennis Association, alongside teachers and Paralympic athletes.

The picture they’re responding to is sobering. Activity Alliance research shows that only one in four disabled children regularly take part in PE and school sport. ParalympicsGB’s own research found that four in five teachers haven’t had any PE inclusion training, and that 95% face barriers like staffing, space and equipment.

As well as calling for inclusion to be built into teacher training and ongoing development, the recommendations suggest:

• Increasing the number of disabled teachers, so that by 2035, 20% of the teaching and trainee workforce is disabled
• Introducing a framework to make sure every school’s PE spaces, changing facilities and equipment are accessible

Making sure every child feels they belong in PE is something we care a lot about through our Active Schools work, and we’d encourage schools and partners to take a look.

You can read the full Equal Play recommendations and find out more on the Activity Alliance website.

Image credit: Activity Alliance