Assessing the learning of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities in mainstream school physical education

Abstract

In the UK, one consequence of neoliberalism has been the development of test cultures in schools and standardised assessment strategies used to judge all pupils against within and across curriculum subjects. Few studies to date have explored the influence of this on assessing the learning of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and none have centred physical education (PE). This study used the concept of ableism and semi-structured interviews to explore mainstream secondary school PE teachers' views and experiences of assessing the learning of pupils with SEND. Based on the findings, we discuss the importance of schools disrupting hegemonic, ableist modes of thinking that cast pupils with SEND as being of inferior ability when compared with their peers and thus being disadvantaged by standardised, normative assessment practices. Specifically, we identify a need for senior leaders and teachers in schools to recognise the needs and capabilities of pupils with SEND, through more holistic assessment approaches that focus on social, affective, cognitive and physical learning and development. We end by discussing the significance of initial teacher education and teacher networks to support this endeavour and advocating for the amplification of the voices of pupils with SEND, given that they have expert knowledge about the perceived inclusivity of assessment in PE because they can draw upon their lived and embodied experiences.

The physical education experiences of pupils with juvenile idiopathic arthritis: An ableism-critical perspective

“…Too often, these hegemonic beliefs about (physical) capital are based on normative perceptions of how the (able) mind-body-self should think, look, and move, thus resulting in many disabled pupils and some with special educational needs having their bodies and movement patterns judged negatively through an able-mind/body gaze (Lynch et al, 2023). In this regard, the ablemind/body gaze infiltrates associated practices that work to police and regulate nonnormative mind-body-selves in PE by, for example, using normative tools for assessing learning as a way of reinforcing ableist normalcy (Maher et al, 2023).…”

“…Alfrey and Jeanes, 2021), and assessing the learning of pupils with SEND (e.g. Maher et al, 2023), none of the research currently available has explored the PE views and experiences of people with JIA from an ableist-critical perspective.…”

“…(Luis) Tong et al's (2012) systematic review of qualitative studies that explored the experiences of children with JIA highlighted the worries some of the children had about their appearance and awkward movements, with the authors concluding that 'JIA disrupts a child's sense of normality and impairs their capacity for social participation' (p. 1392). Maher et al (2023) and Lynch et al (2023) have problematised the use of an ableist gaze to judge disabled pupils in this way because it is based on normative expectations about how mind-bodies should look, move, and learn, which can contribute to subordinating the abilities and achievements of those disabled people that do not conform to ableist expectations. This point is tied to neoliberal test-culture ideals and is contrary to research about the most effective ways to support learning and development, which emphasise more holistic views about abilities that incorporate social, affective, cognitive and physical domains, and tailoring expectations, pedagogy, and assessment to the needs and capabilities of pupils so that they can be stretched and challenged in ways suitable to them (Dinan-Thompson and Penney, 2015).…”

“…Overton et al, 2017) and assessment practices (e.g. Maher et al, 2023) in PE, it is crucial to remember that teachers are not the recipients of attempts to enact inclusion. Indeed, there has been a drive to centre the experiences and amplify the voices of those with SEND because of their lived, embodied knowledge of so-called inclusive practices in PE (see Maher and Haegele, 2022).…”

“…Alfrey and Jeanes, 2021), and assessing the learning of pupils with SEND in PE (e.g. Maher et al, 2023).…”