Becoming a Physical Education Teacher

Gary Stidder

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2015
• ISBN:
  9781317677321
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Physical Education

Teaching physical education is a challenging but rewarding occupation. Finding a way into the profession can be a daunting task while regular changes in government policy can make it hard to stay up to date. This engaging new book explains the process of becoming and being a teacher of secondary school physical education, from the various routes of entry into the profession, to the realities of being a qualified PE teacher, to the ways in which experienced teachers can become teacher educators and nurture the next generation. It combines rich personal accounts of teaching in, and being taught, physical education, with practical advice for trainees, newly qualified teachers and established professionals, with an emphasis throughout on the importance of critical self-reflection.

The book begins by exploring the nature and purpose of physical education and examining the historical development of initial teacher training. It examines recent changes in training, policy and curriculum, and offers an overview of the various ways of becoming a PE teacher, including the Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) and school and employment based routes. The book offers advice on what to expect at interview, meeting the standards for qualifying to teach, and on how to survive the difficult first year as a newly-qualified teacher. It also outlines the challenges and rewards of being a qualified teacher, mentor or curriculum leader, as well as a teacher educator within higher education.

Concise, helpful, and filled with sensible insights based on real experiences of teaching physical education, Becoming a Physical Education Teacher is an essential read for anybody considering entering the profession, or for students, trainees, newly qualified or experienced teachers wanting to understand better the process of becoming, and being, a successful PE teacher.

APPENDIX 1: SURVIVING YOUR PGCE YEAR

Term 1 (hold on tight)

By far, term one is the most difficult and longest terms of the year – if you survive this one you are almost half way through. Be prepared for going to school in the dark and leaving school in the dark. The weather will be a pain, particularly if you do not have much indoor space. Just try to have a plan B available if your lesson gets taken indoors and try to get a good idea about what the department does in bad weather. On that note, make sure you have spare kit at school to change into if you get soaked: my first placement was outside, no matter what!

There will be no time for all the good things that you used to do as an undergraduate; socials, shopping, even exercising and eating will become a luxury. That is how difficult this term will be and my advice is don't panic you are NOT ALONE. Every teacher has gone through this (although admittedly sometimes they need reminding of this). Make sure that you look after yourselves and look out for each other.

When you come back for the Thursdays and Fridays at university, you can tell a lot about how everyone is doing. If it wasn't for the support that the other students gave me to stand up to some of things my school were asking me to do I would not have made it past December. This term, you will be faced with plenty of obstacles so, if you have any difficulties, as you will most likely have, please talk to someone who you feel comfortable talking to – your mentor, your lecturers or a fellow trainee about it. Chances are you are not the only one, don't just ignore it.

Christmas break (time to relax)

You made it – congratulations, if you have got this far, the hardest part is over! This is your time to recover, so make the most of it. You must take the time to re-energise otherwise you will burn out. You will most likely have work to do over the break but set aside a certain amount of time. I went home and didn't look at any work until four days until the end and then got anything I needed to done.

Term 2 (keep it up)

January was a turning point for a lot of us. Things were becoming far more natural and planning time decreasing. You are in the closing stages of your first placement; you will have your routines, clear boundaries with your class and starting to develop working student–teacher relationships. Then, before you know it, you will be saying goodbye to your classes and even wish that you were staying! In some schools, the pupils are used to trainees coming and going but, for others, it can be quite hard and they will ply you with cards and gifts, if you are lucky ?.

You will have some time at university during this term, between placements. It might seem keen but this is the time to start applying for jobs. This was the best decision I made in the whole year, because I managed to do all my applying and go my interview during this time. It meant that I didn't have to go through the stress whilst balancing placement! Also, the ones that advertise early normally mean that they want you to start before summer which means you get paid over that time – AMAZING! In this term, you will also start your second placement. My main piece of advice is to try your best not to compare the two, particularly not to speak about it to your new department they will have their ways and don't want to hear how your old placement did things that was better than theirs.

Term three (so close)

You are only at your second placement school for half of the summer term, so it is really important at this point to get experience in as many different summer sports as possible. It may be the only experience you get before a year's time in your new school as an NQT!

At this point in the game, you will have a good idea whether you are going to pursue a career in teaching. Even if you are thinking that it is not for you, you are so close to the end, try your best to see it through: you never know, you might change your mind. At the end of my PGCE, even though I had got myself a permanent job to start in July, I still doubted my decision to go into teaching purely because I was so stressed out during my PGCE year that I didn't want to live my life that way. BUT, have faith, back to what I said at the start of this, I was working until 10 p.m. each night and through my weekends. Whereas now I plan my lessons in my school diary for the following week in my frees on Friday and then make sure I have no work to do over the weekend. This may mean staying at school until 6 p.m. each evening but it is worth it. I now do nothing over the weekends and we are in the hardest term of the year! University is a great place to do your training; the staff will go above and beyond for you so don't forget to ask for help: the last thing anyone wants is for you to suffer in silence!

APPENDIX 2: PAY SCALES OF TEACHERS

Head teachers

Group 1–8 is dependent on the size of school. Small primary schools for children 4–11 years of age would be group 1. Large secondary schools children for 11–18 years of age would be group 8. Head teachers are often awarded a high ‘spine’ point within the group number as they are the highest ‘leader’ in the school. The lower spine points within the range is given for other leaders such as deputy and/or assistant head teachers. The decisions about this are made by a board of governors to the school. Governors can include appointed persons from the local government offices and volunteer persons from the local community.

Leadership spine

This is a simple scale which is concerned with all persons in a school who take on a whole-school leadership responsibility; it does not include responsibility for sections or faculties within a school. It includes the pay for all head teachers, deputy head teachers and assistant head teachers. L1–5 would be for deputy head teacher in a very small school.

Advanced-skills teachers

This category is, at this time, becoming quite rare in England and will soon disappear; however, it is a scale for which a very good teacher can apply to be considered for. This teacher has to be able to prove to the head teacher that he or she can teach to a high level of skill and can coach other teachers to become also highly skilled teachers. They have to show consistent and sustained evidence of students achieving high results in their examinations and many other admirable evidence of excellent work.

Lead practitioners

This is becoming more and more common in England. It is very much similar to Advanced skills teachers but is favoured by head teachers and governors because it gives One range. Therefore each school can decide for itself according to their own finances how much salary they will offer for their most skilled teachers. The Lead practitioner teachers must be able to lead groups on improving teaching and learning in a school and they must be able to communicate good practice to all teachers throughout the year.

Excellent teacher

As with advanced-skills teachers, this category is being phased out.

Unqualified teachers

Some schools may wish to employ persons with special knowledge, skills and experience who may help to educate young people but they have not been trained to teach. This category is often used in schools that are independently financed and not part of the state system. However, it can still be used in state schools.

General teaching scales

Most teachers in England are either paid on the classroom teachers’ scale and those with extra responsibilities also receive an award for teaching and learning responsibilities.

Classroom teachers

This applies to ALL teachers. There is a nine-point scale. All teachers start their employment on M1. During each year of work, teachers have to gather evidence that they are deserving of a move to the next scale up. To start with, the evidence gathering is not very difficult and all, with the exception of very poor teachers, are expected to receive more money with each year of experience. movement from M1 to M2–3 is quite simple. Each year, teachers are expected to select three objectives that they should achieve during the year. These are related to student outcomes, professional development and management of students or colleagues. A judgement is made by a leadership teacher on whether the person has been successful in this. The moves between M4, 5 and 6 must show increasing levels of accomplishment by the teacher. For example, lessons must be observed as consistently good and pupil progress must always be good. For a teacher to move from M6 to U1, there is a large change. Teachers must show that many aspects of teaching are graded as OUTSTANDING, large numbers of children must be seen to be making better than predicted progress and achieving very high examination grades. Teachers at U3 must be able to contribute to helping other teachers to become better. Teachers on the U scale must be considered as expert teachers. On reaching U3 (the ninth scale), there is no progression possible unless a teacher is able to take on a responsibility.

Teaching and learning responsibilities

Teaching and learning responsibilities are awarded on a sliding scale. Payment 3 is for a short-term duty with usually only a small responsibility. Payment 2 is for a permanent responsibility and is open to the governors and head teacher of the school to decide. Most schools will offer this money for duties such as being deputy head of a curriculum subject or for supporting responsibility for an age-group cohort of students in the school. Payment 1 is also open to the governors and head teacher to decide but it is often awarded for larger responsibilities, such as head of subject such as physical education or head of a year group.

Special-needs allowance is for those teachers who have skills which have regard to children who have a range of learning difficulties that are unique to that child and require special help to access learning.

Vignette (current curriculum leader for physical education)

I have been a teacher for 27 years. I have reached the top of my nine-point scale. I have also taken responsibility for a subject (physical education) in the school but the governors and head teacher do not consider this subject to be large enough to consider awarding me the maximum amount of £12,517. Instead, it is somewhere in between the minimum and maximum. Thus, my salary is the maximum U3 plus enough responsibility pay to take my overall salary to approximately £46,000. I can go no higher unless I take on a whole-school leadership responsibility. I am happy at where I am now and feel that any leadership duty is now likely to be awarded to someone younger than me.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

• Almond, L. and Ezzeldin, K. (2013) ‘Are Fundamental Movement Skills the Foundation of Physical Education?’, Physical Education Matters, 8(3): 53–5.
• Amateur Swimming Association (2013) Learning the Lesson: The Future of Swimming. The 2013 School Swimming Census. Loughborough: ASA. Available online at www.swimming.org/assets/uploads/library/School_Swimming_Census_2013.pdf (accessed 25 September 2014).
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• Armour, K., Makopoulou, K., Chambers, F. and Duncombe, R.R. Bailey (2010) ‘Career-long Professional Learning for the Professional Physical Education Teacher’ in R. Bailey (ed.), Physical Education for Learning: A Guide for Secondary Schools. London: Continuum International, 37–53.
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