The real PE podcast

Join hosts Toni Smyth, Ronnie Heath (CEO of real PE), and John Parsons (Director of Innovation at real PE) for this special edition podcast that tackles the hotly debated topic of assessment in PE. In this thought-provoking episode, our experts challenge conventional thinking about assessment, arguing that formative assessment is the only type that truly matters for learning, whilst summative asse...

Welcome to Real Nonsense Episode 10! For the first time ever, hosts Toni Smyth, Ronnie Heath (CEO of real PE), and John Parsons (Director of Innovation at real PE) aren't delivering a straight "complete nonsense" verdict. Instead, they explore the nuanced world of daily running activities in primary schools with their inaugural "it depends" conclusion. The trio examines whether making all children...

Welcome to Real Nonsense Episode 10! For the first time ever, hosts Toni Smyth, Ronnie Heath (CEO of real PE), and John Parsons (Director of Innovation at real PE) aren't delivering a straight "complete nonsense" verdict. Instead, they explore the nuanced world of daily running activities in primary schools with their inaugural "it depends" conclusion. The trio examines whether making all children...

Missing Movement: Why Taking Children Out of PE is Educational Madness In this thought-provoking episode of Real Nonsense, hosts Toni Smyth, Ronnie Heath (CEO of real PE), and John Parsons (Director of Innovation at real PE) tackle one of the most frustrating practices in education: removing children from PE lessons as punishment or to catch up on other subjects. This episode explores why treating...

Podcast Episode Description: In this thought-provoking episode of Real Nonsense, hosts Toni Smyth, Ronnie Heath (CEO of real PE), and John Parsons (Director of Innovation at real PE) tackle one of the most frustrating practices in education: removing children from PE lessons as punishment or to catch up on other subjects. This episode explores why treating physical education as expendable is not j...

real nonsense episode 8 focusses in on inappropriate warm-ups.  Join hosts Toni Smyth, Ronnie Heath (CEO of real PE), and John Parsons (Director of Innovation at real PE) as they tackle one of the most common pieces of nonsense still happening in primary PE lessons across the country. In this episode, we explore why traditional warm-ups like running laps around the playground or standing in circle...

Episode 8 of real nonsense focusses in on inappropriate warmups: Join hosts Toni Smyth, Ronnie Heath (CEO of real PE), and John Parsons (Director of Innovation at real PE) as they tackle one of the most common pieces of nonsense still happening in primary PE lessons across the country. In this episode, we explore why traditional warm-ups like running laps around the playground or standing in circl...

The Great Sports Day Debate: Competition V's Collaboration Join Toni Smyth, Ronnie Heath CEO of real PE, and John Parsons the Director of Innovation at real PE for this special edition podcast tackling the annual primary school sports day conundrum! As the summer term approaches, PE leads across the country are planning this important school event that often sparks debate among staff, parents, and...

The Great Sports Day Debate: Competition V's Collaboration Join Toni Smyth, Ronnie Heath CEO of real PE, and John Parsons the Director of Innovation at real PE for this special edition podcast tackling the annual primary school sports day conundrum! As the summer term approaches, PE leads across the country are planning this important school event that often sparks debate among staff, parents, and...

Join Toni Smyth as she welcomes back John Parson (Director of Innovation) and Ronnie Heath (CEO) from real PE to discuss the exciting future of physical education. This thought-provoking conversation explores how EdTech can enhance PE provision, the importance of joyful movement experiences, and why focusing on inclusive physical development opportunities across the school day might be more valuab...

Join Toni Smyth as she welcomes back John Parson (Director of Innovation) and Ronnie Heath (CEO) from real PE to discuss the exciting future of physical education. This thought-provoking conversation explores how EdTech can enhance PE provision, the importance of joyful movement experiences, and why focusing on inclusive physical development opportunities across the school day might be more valuab...

Join host Toni Smyth as she welcomes back Ronnie Heath (CEO) and John Parsons (Director of Innovation) from real PE to discuss how their approach to physical education has evolved over the past decade. In this insightful conversation, they explore how the core philosophy of child-centred, inclusive PE and outstanding learning and teaching, remains unchanged while their delivery methods have embrac...

Join host Toni Smyth as she welcomes back Ronnie Heath (CEO) and John Parsons (Director of Innovation) from real PE to discuss how their approach to physical education has evolved over the past decade. In this insightful conversation, they explore how the core philosophy of child-centred, inclusive PE and outstanding learning and teaching, remains unchanged while their delivery methods have embrac...

Motor competence crisis: How modern life is affecting children's development Episode Description: Join us as we speak with Johann Issartel, CEO of MoveAhead, who reveals alarming findings about children's motor development in the modern world. Discover how 90% of children are now falling behind in basic movement skills, the impact of increased screen time and innovative solutions combining technol...

Motor competence crisis: How modern life is affecting children's development Episode Description: Join us as we speak with Johann Issartel, CEO of MoveAhead, who reveals alarming findings about children's motor development in the modern world. Discover how 90% of children are now falling behind in basic movement skills, the impact of increased screen time and innovative solutions combining technol...

In this thought-provoking episode our hosts tackle the controversial topic of using exercise as punishment in physical education. They explore why this practice persists despite creating negative associations with physical activity, share personal experiences from the field, and offer practical alternatives for PE teachers and coaches.  Learn how to create positive relationships with exercise, man...

In this thought-provoking episode of real nonsense, hosts Toni Smyth, Ronnie Heath, and John Parsons tackle the controversial topic of using exercise as punishment in physical education. They explore why this practice persists despite creating negative associations with physical activity, share personal experiences from the field, and offer practical alternatives for teachers in PE and coaches. Le...

In this thought-provoking episode, Toni, Ronnie, and John tackle the common practice of praising performance in Physical Education. They challenge educators to move beyond generic praise and focus instead on recognizing effort, growth, resilience, and the journey to improvement. Through personal anecdotes and practical examples, the hosts demonstrate how purposeful praise can transform classroom c...

In this thought-provoking episode, Toni, Ronnie, and John tackle the common practice of praising performance in Physical Education. They challenge educators to move beyond generic praise and focus instead on recognizing effort, growth, resilience, and the journey to improvement. Through personal anecdotes and practical examples, the hosts demonstrate how purposeful praise can transform classroom c...

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,...

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,...

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...

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...

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. Discove...

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 potentiall...