We offer a complete and bespoke consultancy and scoping service to support the introduction, implementation and quality assurance of physical literacy informed practice across all areas of public policy or private operation. This includes:
Education and sports policy, Physical education curriculum and/or practice
Coaching education and delivery, Sports development strategies
Embedding physical activity into health initiatives, Corporate social responsibility programmes
The first Physical Literacy Statement for England was published in September 2023, following a year-long project, led by Liverpool John Moores University, involving an expert panel of 60 academics and practitioners from health, education, early years and youth. The panel considered existing research, new insights from children and young people, two public consultations and other definitions of physical literacy.
The statement provides a shared understanding of what physical literacy is and how it relates to our physical activity experiences. It also provides a point of reference for policymakers, organisations and practitioners wishing to better understand physical literacy. It builds on over thirty years of the pioneering works of Professor Margaret Whitehead.
Sport England Physical Literacy Statement, 2023.
To provide more depth, context and understanding around the Physical Literacy Statement for England, the IPLA produced a paper “Unpacking the Physical Literacy Statement for England. This paper is aimed at national and local organisations working in the sport, physical activity, education, and health sectors. It expands the key message in the original statement, linked to research and practice that underpin physical literacy, and suggests where to go for further information.
By deepening our understanding of physical literacy we can support others to develop holistically and build a strong relationship with movement and physical activity that endures across their lifetime.
The International Sport and Culture Association (ISCA) coordinated a 2 year project (2021–22) to host physical literacy experts, from 2 continents, joining grassroots sport organisations, to develop theoretical and practical resources to help teachers and coaches integrated physical literacy into the delivery of physical education, physical activity and sport programmes.
Following an inaugural meeting in Copenhagen, where Nigel Green (IPLA Chair) shared the concept with a team of partner organisations, including research instituted, universities, health organisations, physical education and physical activity NGOs, the project delivered a common concept and definition of physical literacy and supporting materials for teaching and coaching programme. The outcomes, including videos, guides and podcasts, were presented at a final multiplier event in Copenhagen.
Over the period 2022-2023, Sport England assembled an expert group which included IPLA representatives, to agree a common definition of physical literacy, for England, to enable implementation of this pledge. The statement was heavily influenced by Margaret Whitehead’s ground-breaking work, officially launched in September 2023.
The Qatar Museum Authority first engaged with the IPLA in 2017, inviting Trevor Smith (IPLA) to activate physical literacy in the creation of an interactive gallery with the 321 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum, presently under construction.
Opening its doors in 2022, the unique ACTIVATION ZONE gallery hosted 18 digital and mechanical challenges, to connect visitors with the concept of physical literacy, where participants can find meaning and joy in activity.
Each challenge focused on specific attributes, allowing participants to record their scores through an RFID chipped wristband. The accumulative scores enabled participants to identify their strongest physical literacy components. At the end of the time in the gallery, participants could access their personal profile, with suggestions of sports and activities they might enjoy.
On exit, participants were finally encouraged to download an App to connect with places and organisations offering the sports and activities that indexed highly with their profile.
Following the success of this interactive gallery, the IPLA was invited to chair the first conference on physical literacy in Qatar (June 2022), in their run up to hosting the FIFA World Cup, later that year.
The House of Lords Select Committee invited Liz Durden-Myers (IPLA), along with Ali Oliver MBE and Sue Wilkinson MBE, to present evidence in a consultation to explore ways to remove barriers to physical activity, particularly young people, and under-represented groups, such as women, girls, those with accessibility issues and ethnic minority communities.
The invitees (Liz, Ali and Sue) tackled issues surrounding Physical Education, School Sport and community club links, covering topics such as the effectiveness of PE in schools, the insufficiencies in local sports clubs, the role of Ofsted in assessing PE facilities and improving the appeal of sport for young people.
Liz Durden-Myers (IPLA) addressed the committee to raise a number of structural inefficiencies in the delivery of sport in schools. Liz identified a greater focus in sports sciences at higher education, whilst losing practical application and pedagogic practice. This was amplified by the lack of career-long professional learning, following inadequate training, particularly in the primary sector. Liz also noted the narrowing of the PE curriculum in the primary sector, as physical education is outsourced increasingly to private sector suppliers. Liz also identified the disappearance of PE in secondary education, with time and resource directed to academic-only learning.
Liz concluded with a pitch for placing physical literacy at the heart of physical education:
“We would like physical literacy to be at the centre of physical education, with the provision of clearer guidance and local networks to support senior leaders, generalist teachers and PE specialists to deliver a high-quality physical education offer.”
