House of Lords date sees senior lecturer shape national plan for sport

Dr Liz Durden-Myers, Senior Lecturer of Physical Education at the University of Gloucestershire and Bath Spa University, has been invited to speak as a witness for the House of Lords Sport and Recreation select committee next week.

By presenting evidence at the committee on the 10^th March, primarily focused on physical literacy, Dr Liz Durden-Myers has the chance to help shape future national policy on sport and education.

The National Plan for Sport and Recreation Committee is appointed to consider the effectiveness of current sport and recreation policies and initiatives, and the case for a national plan for sport and recreation.

There are several sessions as part of the inquiry, other members involved include the New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister and the Head or Sport and Health Minister. She will be presenting her evidence via video call.

Liz is a previous physical education teacher and school sports coordinator. She joined both universities in 2019, leading the Initial Teacher Education Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) in Physical Education. She is also a Commissioned Officer in the Royal Air Force Reserves.

In addition to this, Liz is a co-founder of the International Physical Literacy Association (IPLA) which was formed in 2014, and has served terms as Chair, Vice Chair and Treasurer for the organisation over the past 7 years. She is also the founder of PE Scholar which has supported thousands of PE teachers and sports coaches over the past eleven years.

Liz completed her PhD in 2020 which focused on operationalising physical literacy within physical education teaching practice through school-based professional development. Her research interests span a variety of fields and she has specific expertise in Physical Literacy, Teaching Pedagogy, Curriculum Design and Teacher Professional Development. She is an international speaker and a leading expert on physical literacy nationally, championing the value of physical activity for health and wellbeing.

Dr Liz Durden-Myers, Senior Lecturer in Physical Education at the University of Gloucestershire and Bath Spa University said:
“This is a fantastic opportunity to help shape the future of sport, recreation and physical activity for our nation. The pandemic has presented many challenges for physical education, but it has also afforded the profession with the time and opportunity to reflect, re-imagine and reconsider the physical education of the future. Physical literacy has a key role to play in this endeavour by facilitating holistic, inclusive and personalised approaches to physical activity promotion and aims to encourage everyone, everywhere to be physically active for life.”