ABSTRACT
Before looking specifically at Sport Education, it is worth reflecting upon the issues of equity and inclusion in relation to physical education more broadly. Many people reading this book will be fortunate in having enjoyed physical education at school and have felt a sense of achievement in it and perhaps have been encouraged to pursue particular sporting activities outside of school. That encouragement may have enabled entry into a sporting and social community and led to a sense of ‘real’ belonging. In recent years in the UK, representatives of government and physical education professional communities have made much of the individual and social benefits of participation in physical education and school sport, including the personal qualities that are developed through it (see Chapter 1, Conway, 2003; Gilroy and Clarke, 1997; Penney and Evans, 1999; Penney and Chandler, 2000). No-one fortunate enough to experience some of the potential benefits would deny them. The experience of physical education and sport is not, however, positive for all children. While some may feel affinity with its various activities, others may feel out of place. While some enjoy a sense of achievement others feel only a sense of disillusion, inadequacy and failure. Accordingly, while some see endless opportunities arising from continuing to participate in sport, others see no place for them in adult sport (Boorman, 1998).
