Ability grouping in primary physical education in England
Moving beyond binary discourses and practices
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11160337 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Shaun D Wilkinson (0000-0002-4405-7549, Department of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Northumbria University Newcastle‐upon‐Tyne UK, corresponding author), Dawn Penney (0000-0002-2000-8953, School of Education Edith Cowan University Perth WA Australia) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 51 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 1880-1903 |
| Publication date | 2025-08-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | British Educational Research Journal (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0141-1926 • E-ISSN: 1469-3518 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1002/berj.4160 |
| OpenAlex | W4408745198 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 39 |
This study recognised that there is currently limited understanding of the extent and nature of ability grouping practices in subject areas other than mathematics and English in primary schools. Using survey methods, this research sought to generate data of sufficient scale to extend understanding of the use of ability grouping practices in primary physical education (PE) in England. Administration of a web‐based survey to all ( n = 917) state‐funded mainstream and special schools catering for students in Key Stage 1 (aged 5–7) and/or Key Stage 2 (aged 7–11) in the North East of England produced a response rate of 27.7% ( n = 254). Analysis of responses revealed that invariably class groups for PE lessons are deemed mixed ability, with a very small number of schools using streaming, setting or blending elements of approaches (e.g., mixed‐ability grouping with a separate top and/or bottom set) to create class groups for PE. However, analysis of responses regarding within‐class grouping practices revealed that ability is a prime point of reference for arranging students into smaller groups for teaching and learning activities in PE. The study findings point to the need for an expansion in research and professional learning relating to abilities and grouping practices in primary PE
Mathematics education · Pedagogy · Physical education · Primary (astronomy) · Primary education · Sociology · Inclusion and Disability in Education and Sport · Physical Education and Pedagogy · Psychology · Student Assessment and Feedback
Hightown Grammar
Social Relations in a Secondary School
Achievement Effects of Ability Grouping in Secondary Schools
Ability Grouping and Student Achievement in Elementary Schools
The hows and whys of gendered grouping practices in primary physical education in England
Stakeholders’ perceptions of within-class ability grouping in a primary school physical education unit
Internet, Phone, Mail, and Mixed‐Mode Surveys
A Meta-Analysis of Response Rates in Web- or Internet-Based Surveys
Who teaches primary physical education? Change and transformation through the eyes of subject leaders
Mixed-ability grouping in physical education
Evidence for the social construction of ability in physical education
Setting and within-class ability grouping
Making a Difference? Education and ëAbilityí in Physical Education
Turned off” or “ready to fly” – Ability grouping as an act of symbolic violence in primary school
The incidence and make up of ability grouped sets in the UK primary school
Ability groupings in the primary school
A national survey of ability grouping practices in secondary school physical education in England
Attainment grouping in English secondary schools
Students' preferences for setting and/or mixed‐ability grouping in secondary school physical education in England
Grouping practices in the primary school
Students' Experiences of Ability Grouping—disaffection, polarisation and the construction of failure 1
Classroom contexts for learning at primary and secondary school
Tracking and Mixed‐ability Grouping in Secondary School Mathematics Classrooms
Primary pupils' experiences of different types of grouping in school
Setting, Social Class and Survival of the Quickest
The participation group means that I'm low ability’
Prevalence of streaming in UK primary schools
The achievement gap
Social Relations in a Secondary School
Streaming
| Highly cited | No |
|---|