Physical education and the after-school sports program in Australian schools : barriers and challenges for the 21st century

Although the process of change has met challenges, these innovations are slowly becoming present in schools, both in PE classes and as part of the after-schools sports programs. As education in Australia is currently state-controlled, this paper relies on the experiences, practices, and policies of NSW, which is the oldest of the seven Australian states. The implementation of the NSW Statewide Primary School (ages 4.5-12) Personal Development, Health & Physical Education (PDHPE) syllabus in 1999 ensured consistency and a structured model to support implementation of PDHPE. However, controversy continues, particularly in the Primary School where specialized PE teachers are not common practice. Further the delivery of PE relies on the classroom teacher, who most of the time, as stated earlier, relies on his/her own experience to teach sports – which often means relying on the traditional ways he/she has been taught in schools or clubs. Further pressure will be placed on teachers as Australia moves towards a national curriculum. Exploring these changes, contradictions, and tensions amid the traditional approaches, the new pedagogical approaches and the generalist/specialized teacher of PE, this chapter aims to explore the history and the new tendencies across sports and physical-education programs in Australia, both during PE lessons and in after-school government sports programs.