Alternative Physical Education Documentary Film

A documentary film written and directed by principal lecturer, Dr Gary Stidder, highlights the value of alternative physical education.

The film was made to highlight the teaching and learning of ‘alternative’ physical activities within physical education lessons whilst providing an example of good practice and a way forward for the training of physical education teachers.

The film explores the suitability of ‘alternative’ physical activities and how pupils and physical education teachers responded to the activities they experienced during an alternative physical education day sponsored by The Compact Plus Programme; the University of Brighton’s widening participation scheme.

The film proposes an ‘alternative’ physical education curriculum for pupils based on what is termed ‘The A list of Physical Activities’. For the purpose of this film the term ‘alternative’ is used to emphasise physical activities which encompass non-traditional team games as opposed to ‘proper’ competitive team sports usually afforded a privileged position within the physical education curriculum.

Equally the term ‘alternative’ physical activities has been used to include examples of what might be termed ‘lifestyle’ activities which may have wider appeal to a broader population of pupils in secondary schools. These include physical activities considered to be less conventional compared to more established types of physical activities usually included on the secondary school physical education curriculum.

Dr Stidder said: “The latest All-Party Parliamentary report on physical education shows the urgent need to revise its teaching in schools, which has not changed since the 1940s, if physical education is to play a part in children’s wellbeing.

“In response to these concerning observations and the questions that it raised this film attempts to answer these questions and provide examples of what is considered to be alternative, innovative and forward-thinking practice.”