Can We Train PE Teachers to Improve Health in Schools?
- Darren Bezzina
- 6 days ago
- 2 min read
A look at Lara Tonna Grima’s study on “PE-for-Health” in Malta
When we talk about health in schools, we often point fingers at students:
“They don’t move enough.”
“They sit too long.”
“They’re addicted to screens.”
But what about the people responsible for shaping movement habits every day?
This research by Lara Tonna Grima explores how we can equip teachers — especially PE teachers — to become leaders in physical activity promotion.
The Study
The research designed, delivered, and evaluated a full Professional Development (PD) programme for Maltese secondary school PE teachers. Its purpose? To support them in implementing “PE-for-Health” — a framework that makes health and physical activity promotion a central part of school life.
This wasn’t just a workshop. It was a 3-phase model:
Needs analysis with PE teachers and leaders.
PD programme delivery with reflections, tasks, and discussions.
Follow-up interviews to evaluate teacher impact and programme effectiveness.
Key Findings
From the thematic analysis of interviews and reflections, three major themes emerged:
1. Engagement in a Meaningful Experience- Teachers valued the programme’s structure — spaced sessions, reflections, and real-world tasks made the experience feel useful and relevant.
2. Learning Platform for PE Teachers- Teachers reported clearer understanding of PE-for-health, improved planning, and increased confidence in delivering lessons focused on long-term activity habits — not just sport performance.
They also began to view themselves as schoolwide health leaders, not just PE deliverers.
3. A Support Framework for Change - The PD offered a rare sense of community, reflection, and long-term follow-up — something many PE teachers said was missing in previous training.
Several even planned to:
Add health-based messaging to noticeboards
Create more inclusive, accessible PE sessions
Align PE with whole-school wellbeing strategies
Why This Study Matters
Malta faces a physical inactivity crisis — and our schools are on the front lines.
But policies and slogans alone won’t change anything.We need to support our teachers with structured, meaningful development.
This thesis is one of the first in Malta to:
Co-design a PD programme
Deliver it directly to teachers
Measure impact using a robust, multi-phase model
Full Citation:Tonna Grima, L. (2023). PE-for-health in Maltese schools: Supporting teachers’ professional development [Doctoral thesis, Loughborough University].
Let’s stop blaming students for being inactive — and start supporting the educators who can change that.
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