The real PE podcast

real nonsense episode 5: Rethinking sport: Activity led curriculums and their impact on learning

Join hosts Toni Smith, Ronnie Heath, and John Parsons as they tackle a common but questionable practice in physical education: Sport-first curriculums.
The team discusses why PE programs often prioritise specific sports over comprehensive skill development, the unintended consequences for pupils, and practical solutions for creating child-centred learning experiences.
Whether you're a PE teacher, coach, or education professional, this episode offers valuable insights on building curricula that develop fundamental movement skills and positive learning behaviour’s while still incorporating sport in a meaningful way.
Discover how making sport the servant, not the master, of your physical education program is a much improved approach.

real nonsense episode 5: Rethinking sport: Activity led curriculums and their impact on learning

Join hosts Toni Smith, Ronnie Heath, and John Parsons as they tackle a common but questionable practice in physical education: Sport-first curriculums.
The team discusses why PE programs often prioritise specific sports over comprehensive skill development, the unintended consequences for pupils, and practical solutions for creating child-centred learning experiences.
Whether you're a PE teacher, coach, or education professional, this episode offers valuable insights on building curricula that develop fundamental movement skills and positive learning behaviour’s while still incorporating sport in a meaningful way.
Discover how making sport the servant, not the master, of your physical education program is a much improved approach.

real nonsense episode 4: Mastering skills: Why just playing the game isn't enough

In this episode we discuss why putting children into games before they've developed fundamental skills is setting many up for failure. As educators, we wouldn't expect children to write essays without teaching letter formation and sentence structure first, so why do we expect this in PE?
Our hosts discuss: Why game-based learning is valuable BUT insufficient alone. How to make deliberate practice engaging and effective. Creating progression that builds physical literacy year-on-year. 
Listen now and enjoy the conversation about creating more coherent, inclusive physical education experiences.

real nonsense episode 4: Mastering skills: Why just playing the game isn't enough

In this episode we discuss why putting children into games before they've developed fundamental skills is setting many up for failure. As educators, we wouldn't expect children to write essays without teaching letter formation and sentence structure first, so why do we expect this in PE?
Our hosts discuss: Why game-based learning is valuable BUT insufficient alone. How to make deliberate practice engaging and effective. Creating progression that builds physical literacy year-on-year. 
Listen now and enjoy the conversation about creating more coherent, inclusive physical education experiences.

real nonsense Episode 3b: The invisible wound: The trauma of team picking

real nonsense Episode 3b: Team picking trauma
Join our hosts as they tackle one of the most traumatic practices in physical education: Letting children pick their own teams. In this eye-opening episode, our experts expose the emotional and psychological harm caused by traditional team selection methods and offer practical, inclusive alternatives that create a positive learning environment.
Discover how simple tweaks can transform a potentially devastating experience into a joyful, equitable approach to team formation. Whether you're an educator, coach, or parent, this episode will challenge you to rethink how we bring pupils together in physical activities.

real nonsense Episode 3a: The invisible wound: The trauma of team picking

Join our hosts as they tackle one of the most traumatic practices in physical education: Letting children pick their own teams. In this eye-opening episode, our experts expose the emotional and psychological harm caused by traditional team selection methods and offer practical, inclusive alternatives that create a positive learning environment.
Discover how simple tweaks can transform a potentially devastating experience into a joyful, equitable approach to team formation. Whether you're an educator, coach, or parent, this episode will challenge you to rethink how we bring pupils together in physical activities.

Episode 4 - What makes the biggest difference in PE?

Join host Toni Smyth and real PE founders Ronnie Heath and John Parsons to discover how to transform PE from an experience that too often leaves children feeling "embarrassed" and "humiliated" into one where every child feels they belong.
Listen as these passionate educators reveal why they felt compelled to challenge the status quo, how they identified that many primary teachers lacked confidence in PE due to their own negative experiences, and why they believe quality physical education is more crucial now than ever. With authenticity and conviction, they explain what "real" in real PE truly means - putting education back into physical education with a child-first approach that ensures every pupil can succeed.
Whether you're a PE specialist, primary teacher, school leader, or simply interested in educational transformation, this episode offers valuable insights into creating inclusive learning environments where all children can develop positive relationships with physical activity for life.

real nonsense - Episode 1 - The elimination game: Why being 'out' in PE is a disadvantage for everyone

Join host Toni Smyth alongside real PE's CEO, Ronnie Heath and Director of Innovation, John Parsons as they tackle the outdated practices that still plague Physical Education. Each episode identifies ‘real nonsense’ - ineffective PE approaches that hinder children's learning and enjoyment - and offers practical solutions to transform these into engaging, inclusive learning experiences.
In our debut episode of the real nonsense podcast, we explore how traditional "out" games disadvantage those who need practice most while offering limited challenge to confident movers.
Our expert panel discusses how simple modifications can transform these activities into inclusive learning experiences where EVERY child gets maximum practice time.
Whether you're a PE teacher, coach, or educator passionate about physical activity, real nonsense provides actionable insights to create more joyful, effective Physical Education for all children.

real PE episode 5: What are the most important outcomes for children?

In this thought-provoking episode, we explore the revolutionary "multi-abilities" approach, which recognises that successful physical education isn't just about physical skills - it's about developing the whole child.
Discover why focusing on personal, social and cognitive skills alongside fundamental movement skills creates more inclusive, effective PE experiences where every child can succeed. Learn how deliberate practice in areas like resilience, cooperation and creative thinking accelerates physical development rather than distracting from it. The team shares inspiring examples of how this approach transforms not just PE lessons but children's broader school experience and attitudes toward learning.
Whether you're an educator, coach, or parent, this episode offers valuable insights into what truly matters for children's development and how to create physical education experiences where every child can thrive.

real nonsense - Episode 2: The waiting game: How queuing in PE undermines learning

In this episode, the team dives into the problematic practice of queuing in PE - why it persists, its negative impacts on engagement and behaviour and better alternatives that increase active learning time. Whether you're a primary school teacher, coach, or school leader, this episode offers evidence-based solutions to maximize pupil participation, skill development and enjoyment.
Join hosts Toni Smyth, Ronnie Heath and John Parsons as they tackle the "nonsense" practices that persist in physical education but wouldn't be tolerated in any other subject.