The Ideological Underpinning of Changes Made to Level Two Vocational and Academic Physical Education Qualifications in England

The aim of this article is to seek to examine recent changes made to level two qualifications in physical education within English education, understanding the ideological and philosophical underpinning, and the potential implications for teaching and learning. This article seeks to place these amendments into the context of wider educational reform seen under the successive Conservative-led governments (2010-2018). Furthermore, by comparing and contrasting the amendments made to an academic and vocational qualification, this article seeks to explore the perceived lack of parity of esteem between these two styles of qualification.
It is proposed that the adjustments made to both the General Certificate in Secondary Education in Physical Education (PE) and Business and Technology Education Council qualification in Physical Education surmount to the ‘academization’ of PE as a subject and level two qualification. It is interpreted that the ‘academization’ of these qualifications can be understood through both the lenses of political ideology, and educational philosophy. Furthermore, the implications of the adjustments made to these qualifications have pedagogical implications that will influence both the teaching of PE as an examinable subject and the learning that takes place.