Issues in staffing and outsourcing in schools. Who’s teaching health and physical education?

Sears, JA; Wilson, R

Issues in staffing and outsourcing in schools. Who’s teaching health and physical education?

Sears, JA Wilson, R

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Publisher:: SAGE PUBLICATIONS LTD
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Australian Journal of Education, 2024, 68, (3), pp. 176-198
Issue Date:: 2024-11-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Sears, JA
dc.contributor.author	Wilson, R https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2550-1253
dc.date.accessioned	2024-11-14T06:40:35Z
dc.date.available	2024-11-14T06:40:35Z
dc.date.issued	2024-11-01
dc.identifier.citation	Australian Journal of Education, 2024, 68, (3), pp. 176-198
dc.identifier.issn	0004-9441
dc.identifier.issn	2050-5884
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/181909
dc.description.abstract	The staffing and outsourcing of the marginalised curriculum area Health and Physical Education (HPE) has been an area of growing concern, alongside rising concerns for the decline of students’ health due to increased sedentary behaviour and mental health problems, yet there has been little research attention to the staffing and delivery of HPE in Australian schools. This article addresses that gap in understanding with analysis of data from a larger study examining positioning and implementation of HPE in schools. A mixed methods questionnaire was completed by 30% of government schools in New South Wales (n = 556) providing data on staffing, delivery and outsourcing arrangements. Findings suggested that specialist HPE teachers are not in-charge of teaching HPE; and the majority (67%) of schools outsource at least some HPE, with far-reaching impacts on curriculum coverage and student exclusion from lessons evident. Findings also suggested that students experience varied methods of delivery in Physical Education (PE), and Health Education (HE) lessons. Together, these findings raise questions regarding the assurance of quality and equity, with implications for future policy and practice and the health and wellbeing of school children.
dc.language	English
dc.publisher	SAGE PUBLICATIONS LTD
dc.relation.ispartof	Australian Journal of Education
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1177/00049441241267924
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject	13 Education
dc.subject.classification	Education
dc.subject.classification	39 Education
dc.title	Issues in staffing and outsourcing in schools. Who’s teaching health and physical education?
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	68
utslib.for	13 Education
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Business
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Business/Management Discipline
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
dc.rights.license	This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.date.updated	2024-11-14T06:40:34Z
pubs.issue	3
pubs.publication-status	Published
pubs.volume	68
utslib.citation.issue	3

Abstract:

The staffing and outsourcing of the marginalised curriculum area Health and Physical Education (HPE) has been an area of growing concern, alongside rising concerns for the decline of students’ health due to increased sedentary behaviour and mental health problems, yet there has been little research attention to the staffing and delivery of HPE in Australian schools. This article addresses that gap in understanding with analysis of data from a larger study examining positioning and implementation of HPE in schools. A mixed methods questionnaire was completed by 30% of government schools in New South Wales (n = 556) providing data on staffing, delivery and outsourcing arrangements. Findings suggested that specialist HPE teachers are not in-charge of teaching HPE; and the majority (67%) of schools outsource at least some HPE, with far-reaching impacts on curriculum coverage and student exclusion from lessons evident. Findings also suggested that students experience varied methods of delivery in Physical Education (PE), and Health Education (HE) lessons. Together, these findings raise questions regarding the assurance of quality and equity, with implications for future policy and practice and the health and wellbeing of school children.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/181909