What has changed since the 1992 Senate Inquiry into Physical and Sport Education? An Evaluation of school responses within three Brisbane Catholic Education (BCE) primary schools.

Abstract

In 1992 a Senate Inquiry into the state of Physical Education and Sport within Australian Education systems was conducted by the Federal Government after claims that the Physical Education (PE) key learning area was in crisis. This was regarded as the most significant review in the history of Physical Education (Kirk, 1998). The Inquiry identified problems with resources, time allocation and the quality in which it was being delivered. Since the Senate Inquiry, detailed Health and Physical Education (HPE) curriculum documents have been developed and implemented which in Queensland replaced the outdated 1972 PE syllabus. This study found that within three Brisbane Catholic Education primary schools, strategies used to combat problems identified by the Senate Inquiry increased the success of HPE syllabus implementation for the physical activity strand. Furthermore, when the syllabus was successfully implemented there was an increase in student interest towards physical activities.