ABSTRACT
Establishing very clear codes of conduct and ground rules is an essential aspect of your teaching and you should refer to your school’s behaviour management policy in this respect. You will also need to pay particular attention to the facilities in which you are expecting the pupils to work in terms of size, space, and quality of the playing surface. AfPE (2008) recommends that teachers display safety posters in strategic areas within the physical education department and that teachers undertake pre-activity checks prior to the start of the lesson. Likewise, you should ensure that the equipment you are expecting pupils to use is appropriate for their ages, for example the correct size and weight of a ball or throwing implement. It is also good practice to encourage the pupils to be involved in aspects of risk assessment and risk management, as ultimately this should be part of their own physical education so that they can make informed safe choices about activities they may wish to pursue outside of school hours.
