Enhancing Quality in Primary Physical Education Erasmus Project

Project Title

Enhancing Quality in Primary Physical Education

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for school education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2015

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Quality Improvement Institutions and/or methods (incl. school development); New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

Background of the EQuiPPE project:

Physical Education (P.E.) is recognised as the most effective means of providing children with the skills, attitudes, values, knowledge and understanding that are essential to participation in society. It is critical to the development of physical literacy and civic engagement, academic achievement and good physical and mental health (UNESCO, 2015). Despite the UNESCO Charter for Physical Education and Sport, Article 4’s recommendation that personnel professionally responsible for physical education and sport should be appropriately qualified, a high proportion of primary P.E. in Europe is taught by generalist rather than specialist P.E. teachers (Onofre et al., 2012).

There was a clear need to support generalist teachers to develop their professional skills and practices in order to improve the quality of P.E. which the EQuiPPE project sought to address. It was recognised that:
• Primary-level schools experience a number of challenges in providing high quality P.E. including finance and appropriate training for staff;
• Many primary teachers are predominantly generalists rather than specialists and not trained specifically in the delivery of P.E.

Aim:
The overall aim of the EQuiPPE project was to develop an online set of materials that supported Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for primary P.E. teachers across the EU. In the present context, CPD is a continuous process through which teachers are able to improve skills, knowledge and experience to help them learn, reflect and review their practices. The EQuiPPE project has provided knowledge, information and materials to create a set of resources to increase teachers’ confidence and improve practice in this area. Via input from the partners, teachers, and wider networks of relevant policy makers and professionals, the project developed resources that reflected the needs and preferences of primary teachers responsible for devising and delivering P.E.

Objectives:
1. To identify examples of good practice from each partner country concerning the use of CPD and teacher education with respect to the provision of primary P.E;
2. To liaise with academics, national and European teacher education networks to identify and develop a competency framework for high quality P.E;
3. To collaborate with local school networks to ensure appropriateness and acceptability of the package;
4. To engage in dissemination and exploitation activities that promote the practical utility of the CPD package;
5. To develop the following intellectual outputs:
– Intellectual Output 1 (O1): Needs analysis report;
– Intellectual Output 2 (O2): EQuiPPE online materials;
– Intellectual Output 3 (O3): EQuiPPE online portal;
– Intellectual Output 4 (O4): EQuiPPE pilot evaluation report;
– Intellectual Output 5 (O5): EQuiPPE multimedia content.

Main activities:
The project was arranged into six main activities including Project Management and Implementation (PMI), and the five intellectual outputs described above.

Methodology:
A mixed methodology was deployed to develop the intellectual outputs. This approach combined different types of evidence to provide a more complete response to the need to enhance quality in primary P.E. This involved the use of quantitative and qualitative data to inform the development of the final EQuiPPE resources via the activities undertaken in each of the intellectual outputs.

Number and profile of participants:
The EQuiPPE project consisted of five partners from Northern (UK), Eastern (Czech Republic, Romania), and Southern (Greece) Europe. These partners included four Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and an In-Service Teacher Training Centre (Poland).

Results and impact:
In the short to medium term (0 to 2 years) the following results are anticipated:
• enhanced quality of primary P.E. in the partner countries and across the EU;
• improved teacher confidence and skills;
• increased knowledge and understanding of the importance of physical literacy to a child’s development.

Longer term, the impacts of the project activities are expected to accrue benefits for a wide audience including:
• better prepared and educated primary P.E. teachers;
• improved physical literacy, confidence, physical and mental health, and educational attainment for primary school aged children;
• greater access to high quality CPD resources via a freely available online CPD package for primary P.E. teachers;
• Improved policy, research and practice through the development of information and evidence concerning the current situation and challenges in primary P.E.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 183428 Eur

Project Coordinator

UNIVERSITY OF GLOUCESTERSHIRE LBG & Country: UK

Project Partners

• Regionalny Osrodek Metodyczno – Edukacyjny “METIS” w Katowicach
• UNIVERZITA PALACKEHO V OLOMOUCI
• UNIVERSITATEA TRANSILVANIA DIN BRASOV
• PANEPISTIMIO THESSALIAS