‘I didn’t want to sound stupid’ Are new PE teachers sufficiently prepared to deliver accredited PE and Sport courses?

Purpose: This study investigated the perceptions of newly qualified Physical Education (PE) teachers on their preparedness to deliver accredited courses in PE and sport (PES) at level 2 and level 3 in the 14-19 curriculum. Participants: Seven qualified PE teachers, with fewer than three years’ experience participated in a one-off semi-structured interview exploring their experiences of training and development in the field of teaching accredited PES courses. Analysis: Data were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis procedures. Four over-arching themes were emergent from the data, leading to three themes: formal preparations as a route to teaching PE, doing it on your own, and emotions which were analysed in detail and interpreted further to a range of sub-themes. A diagrammatic representation of the relationship between each level of theme was developed. Discussion: The themes discussed indicate perceptions of low levels of preparation for teaching accredited PES courses to pupils at level 2 and 3. The data suggests that participants perceived low levels of confidence in their sport science content knowledge and classroom pedagogical knowledge and that they were often anxious prior to and during delivery of these lessons. The data also suggests that participants gained in perceived levels of confidence as they gained experience in teaching the courses. A clear set of recommendations have been developed for degree and ITT providers.