Abstract

It is almost impossible to separate primary physical education from the notion of ‘health’. From policies to pedagogies to curricula, primary school PE is persistently positioned as a field that will, in numerous ways, enable students to live healthier lives. As the first line of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) document Quality physical education – guidelines for policy-makers asserts: “sport and physical education are essential to youth, to healthy lives” (UNESCO, 2015: 4). However, the ‘marriage’ between PE and health is not necessarily a straightforward, or even happy, relationship.