Episode 88 - Matt Magowan - Split Screen Teaching, Learning Rivers, Universal Screening and Fundamental Movement

In this episode of the PE Insights Podcast, Nathan speaks with Matt about how Physical Education can develop much more than pupils’ physical competence.

The conversation begins with Split Screen teaching, an approach influenced by the work of Guy Claxton. Building on the podcast’s previous discussion with Dr Will Patz about making curriculum values explicit, Matt explains how teachers can deliberately foreground qualities such as courage, collaboration and independence alongside physical learning. He also shares how pupils can help to co-construct success criteria, making these wider learning behaviours visible, meaningful and easier to recognise within lessons.

Nathan and Matt then explore Fundamental Movement Skills and the important role they play in supporting children’s development. Matt outlines how his school uses KIDDO to screen pupils from Early Years 3 to Grade 5, alongside beginning-of-unit assessments and Guttman analysis in selected areas of the curriculum. Rather than viewing assessment as an endpoint, the discussion considers how it can help teachers understand pupils’ starting points and make better-informed decisions about curriculum planning and teaching.

The episode also examines learner variability: recognising that pupils arrive in PE with different experiences, strengths, needs and levels of confidence. Matt shares how assessment information can be used to plan more responsive learning experiences while maintaining high expectations for every pupil.

Throughout the conversation, Nathan and Matt consider how PE teachers can make both physical learning and personal development more intentional, visible and accessible.

Topics covered include:

• What Split Screen teaching means in Physical Education

• Making curriculum values and learning behaviours explicit

• Co-constructing success criteria with pupils

• Assessing Fundamental Movement Skills

• Using KIDDO as a universal movement screener

• How Guttman analysis can inform curriculum planning

• Planning and teaching for learner variability

• Using assessment to support responsive and inclusive practice

An insightful episode for PE teachers, curriculum leaders and anyone interested in using assessment purposefully to better understand and support every learner.

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