“There’s nothing wrong with me”: Experiencing Physical Education at the intersections of disability, ethnicity and gender

Background: School populations in England continue to diversify, particularly in relation to ethnicity, language, and Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Yet research demonstrates that Physical Education (PE) often remains structured, organised and delivered in ways that privilege White, male, cisgender, heterosexual, non-disabled students. Whilst the experiences of those students marginalised within PE have been explored, a single-issue approach dominates. That is, disability, ethnicity or gender have often been researched in isolation. More recently an intersectional lens has been used to consider young people’s multiple identities and how these simultaneously influence experiences of PE. However, much of this research has focused on two identities, for example gender and ethnicity, or gender and disability.
Purpose: This paper offers insights regarding the ways that disability, ethnicity and gender intertwine to influence the PE experiences of five girls attending an English secondary school, Hillside High.
Methods: Data were generated over two years through focus group interviews and observations of PE lessons. Using a narrative approach to data re-presentation, five stories are presented to reflect the girls’ experiences.
Findings and Conclusion: Following the narratives, three themes are discussed: the (ir)relevance of PE; the importance of peer relationships; and school-imposed labels. In concluding, we explore how privilege, inequality, and difference operate; the differences between girls who share identity categories; and consider the utility of adopting an intersectional lens.