Principals’ Perspectives on Quality Physical Education in Australian Primary Schools

This study investigated primary (elementary) school (Foundation to Year [Grade] 6) principals’ perspectives of key attributes they understand as important to the delivery of quality physical education (QPE) in Australian primary schools. The study draws on a subset of data from a broader project that evaluated the outcomes of 14 schools’ yearlong involvement in the Physical Education & Physical Literacy (PEPL) project (see https://www.peplapproach.com.au/). Principals’ perspectives are important due to their positions of influence in schools, which includes playing a key role in teacher improvement and student learning. In Australia, physical education (PE) is often positioned as a marginalized subject with less time and resourcing in primary schools than more “academic” subjects (Cruickshank et al., 2021).