All things bright and beautiful? PE in primary schools post the 1988 Education Reform Act

This paper reports on research that has addressed the implementation of the National Curriculum for physical education (NCPE) in primary schools in England. The paper documents what children in primary schools currently experience as a NCPE and examines how this relates to previous practice. Central to the analysis is the question of whether the requirements of the NCPE and the resources (including staff expertise) presently available for the 'delivery' of the NCPE in primary schools will 'raise standards' and foster quality in PE teaching. The data highlight the gap between ERA rhetoric which has claimed that the National Curriculum will raise standards in schools and the reality of life in many primary schools. In particular we draw attention to the crucial role that pre and in-service training has to play in securing the development of a National Curriculum that can be both meaningful and beneficial to all children.