Moving beyond sport in primary physical education

Abstract

It is almost impossible to separate primary physical education from the notion of ‘health’. From policies to pedagogies to curricula, primary school PE is persistently positioned as a field that will, in numerous ways, enable students to live healthier lives. As the first line of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) document Quality physical education – guidelines for policy-makers asserts: “sport and physical education are essential to youth, to healthy lives” (UNESCO, 2015: 4). However, the ‘marriage’ between PE and health is not necessarily a straightforward, or even happy, relationship.