Facilitating high quality physical education and high quality gymnastics: an intervention in a city school

High quality physical education should be an aspiration for all schools and is considered to be important for many reasons, not least because it may help young people to make informed lifestyle choices and encourage lifelong participation in physical activity (Kay, 2005; Kirk, 2005; Haydn-Davies, 2005; Morgan, Kingston & Sproule, 2005). Moreover, the introduction of the Physical Education School Sport and Club Links Strategy in 2003 (DfES & DCMS, 2004) and then the Physical Education and Sport Strategy for Young People in 2008 (www.teachernet.gov.uk/pe/) further heightened and highlighted the importance of regular participation in high quality physical activity, physical education and school sport. At the core of both strategies has been the drive to increase young people’s participation in high quality physical education and school sport.